Brands in India are increasingly stepping beyond screens and into the everyday soundscape of commuters, tapping into a fast-growing off-screen audio advertising economy. As digital fatigue rises and urban mobility increases, public transport, especially metros, have become powerful canvases for brands trying to cut through the noise by, quite literally, becoming part of it.
Over the past year, several brands have run high-impact audio takeovers inside Metro networks, turning routine station announcements into memorable brand moments. Zomato had come up with a playful city-specific campaign in Mumbai Metro, tweaking station names to match food cravings - like turning ‘Ghatkopar,’ famous for its Khau Gully, into ‘(Chaat)kopar.’ Centerfruit had also executed one of the most talked-about examples in the Delhi Metro, where standard announcements were suddenly disrupted by its iconic ‘laplaplap’ jingle, catching commuters off guard and generating massive social chatter.
Speaking on the campaign executed early this year, Gunjan Khetan, Director - Marketing, Perfetti Van Melle, shares that for a brand like Centerfruit, playfulness is at the heart of how it communicates. He has always believed that the brand should spark joy in everyday moments, and the Delhi Metro felt like the perfect canvas for that.
“Millions of people tune into the same announcements every day; predictable, functional, and almost invisible because of routine. We saw a unique opportunity to transform that captive moment into something unexpected. Through cheeky in-train announcement integration, audio allowed us to bring Centerfruit’s ‘Kaisi Jeebh Laplapayee’ spirit alive in a way no screen ever could. It was not just advertising; it was an experience. The inspiration was simple, take a familiar sound and twist it just enough to make people smile in the middle of their commute,” he states.
MakeMyTrip too cleverly joined in on the trend when they baffled regular Mumbai local commuters with a surprising ‘Agla Stop Bangkok’ announcement (translation: ‘Next Stop Bangkok’) - playfully nudging them towards an international holiday.
In 2024, Jeevansathi.com also made a notable splash with its metro campaign, where the brand used audio-led storytelling on the Delhi Metro’s Violet Line to playfully promote their matrimonial services during the wedding season. The campaign featured humorous and relatable jingles that mimicked the familiar metro announcements, encouraging commuters to find a partner through the platform. Sumeet Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Info Edge, says that the brand has been experimenting with audio for a while. It has even used platforms like Spotify for podcasts, playlists, and music ads. She further explains that Info Edge has done physical advertising in the past but over time, it noticed internally that many young employees used the metro daily.
“We also observed that while passengers often wear headphones, they still listen to metro announcements giving information about doors and stations. Since these are sparse, people tend to pay attention. We felt that if we could insert our message into this environment, it would get heard. Additionally, when something humorous or interesting plays in a confined space like a metro coach, people react, talk, and the word-of-mouth effect becomes almost instant. Even if someone misses one message, they’re likely to catch another across the journey. The campaign performed very well and our team even travelled in metros to capture reactions. A few people posted about it on social media, which helped it go viral and gain coverage from marketing blogs,” Singh explains.
This emerging form of off-screen audio advertising opens up a whole new realm of creative possibilities, but it also comes with clear limitations. On the creative side, brands can craft playful, contextually relevant messages that surprise and delight commuters, turning mundane environments like metro stations into memorable brand touchpoints. However, there might be some constraints: the messaging has to be concise, instantly understandable, and respectful of commuters’ attention.
Azazul Haque, Group Chief Creative Officer, Creativeland Asia, an integrated marketing agency that also works on audio marketing, believes that the biggest opportunity is that it’s a clean slate. Not many brands have ventured into this space because it’s not a traditional tool of advertising. One is communicating at a place where the consumer doesn’t expect advertising, so a brand catches them by surprise, and that makes it memorable.
In contrast, he further adds that mediums like TV and digital are flooded with brand interventions. “People see ads as interruptions between movies, during matches, or between entertainment. That’s why they lose interest. But when someone is going through their daily commute and isn’t being entertained, a brand can step in and entertain them. The challenges are mainly execution and scalability. Scaling this in India is difficult. Consistency is another challenge. If a brand can take this space and consistently deliver like Amul did with their iconic outdoor hoardings, it can become a strong, regular consumer interaction,” he notes.
However, experts also signal that brands must tread carefully: messages need to be simple, concise, and relevant, or risk irritation among passengers. “The power of sonic branding lies in musicality and emotion,” says Rajeev Raja, Founder and Soundsmith, Brandmusiq. “Music bypasses rational processing and goes straight to the emotional centers of the brain, making it far more memorable than a visual cue alone. A few notes can trigger recognition within milliseconds—far faster than a logo or a line of copy.”
He says that public sound campaigns work best when they integrate seamlessly into the environment, evoke instant emotion, and operate subconsciously, even among distracted commuters. According to Raja, “A strong mnemonic evokes joy, warmth, or reassurance far quicker than visuals… a hummable MOGO® (Musical logo) is easier to share, imitate, and recall.”
As brands continue experimenting with sound-led activations in metros and other public spaces, the future of audio marketing looks expansive and promising. Experts believe that off-screen audio campaigns could soon move beyond transit hubs into airports, malls, gyms, and even smart city infrastructure, where everyday sounds can be leveraged to create memorable brand moments. With advances in technology, including AI-generated audio, personalised sonic cues, and location-based sound triggers, marketers can deliver contextually relevant messages without overwhelming audiences.
“Re-creation of sound will be the next big wave. AI voices are now 99.99% human. People get tricked often on their timelines—the Kishore Kumar ‘Saiyyara’ version really got me,” says Akshit V Salian, Executive Creative Director - Art, Restless@MagicCircle. He notes that southern markets, like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, are already using celebrity-cloned voices for mall announcements and festive greetings, and hyperlocal markets are likely to adopt these tools even faster.
Singh, reflecting on campaigns by brands like Naukri, adds, “To capture the attention of Gen Z, we need to be both digital and innovative. Young people spend time at concerts, stand-up shows, and similar experiences. We must be where they are; otherwise, they won’t notice us.”
For brands like Centerfruit, the power of audio lies in its ability to create memorable experiences. “A 20-second audio spot or a playful announcement did not just deliver a message; it created an experience that people will remember for a long time,” says Khetan. “In the metro, the engagement is guaranteed - no skipping, no scrolling, no distractions. When you surprise people in a captive environment, recall and conversation naturally follow.”
Taken together, these insights signal that off-screen audio marketing is moving from a novelty into a strategic tool. From AI-driven voices to experiential soundscapes in metros, malls, and public hubs, brands are discovering ways to engage audiences through emotion, surprise, and interactivity. As urban soundscapes grow busier, the brands that can blend creativity, technology, and context will likely lead the next wave of attention-grabbing, memorable campaigns.
