How to Advertise in Lifts and Office Buildings

Three Key Takeaways

1. Keep It Simple and Visual
Lift journeys are short. Your advert must be bold, instantly readable, and focused on one clear message.

2. Choose the Right Buildings
Do not just book any office block. Match the building’s tenant profile to your ideal audience for maximum relevance.

3. Use Frequency to Build Recall
Office routines guarantee repeated daily exposure, helping your brand stick with high-value professionals.

If you want to reach professionals when they are focused, affluent, and in work mode, office buildings are one of the most effective environments in UK media.

Lifts and lobbies offer something increasingly rare: undivided attention. In a world dominated by mobile distractions, the short journey between floors becomes a captive moment. Executed correctly, lift advertising transforms the daily commute into a powerful, targeted media channel.

Why Office Buildings Deliver Stronger Recall

Frequency builds memory. That principle sits at the heart of effective advertising.

Most channels struggle to deliver consistent exposure to the same high-value audience. Office buildings naturally solve this problem. Professionals enter through the lobby in the morning, use the lift multiple times throughout the day, and pass reception again as they leave.

Your advert is not seen once. It is seen repeatedly, often five or more times in a single working day.

Inside a lift, attention sharpens. Signal drops. Conversations pause. The screen at eye level becomes the focal point. Even a 20-second journey can create meaningful brand recall when the creative is clear and confident.

Making the Most of a 15-Second Window

The average lift ride lasts between 15 and 30 seconds. That is your opportunity.

Complex messaging will not survive the opening of the doors. Instead, focus on bold visuals, a distinctive brand mark, and one strong call to action.

Digital lift screens support both static and motion formats. Video can work brilliantly, but simplicity wins. One problem. One solution. One reason to remember you.

For B2B brands, this is especially powerful. Software providers, legal services, recruitment firms, and financial institutions can reach decision-makers while they are actively thinking about work. You are not competing with leisure content. You are aligning with their professional mindset.

Lobby Screens Extend the Story

Before reaching the lift, every professional passes through reception.

Large digital displays near security turnstiles or waiting areas benefit from longer dwell times. People pause. They queue. They check in. This creates space for slightly richer storytelling.

Lobby screens also enable day-parting. Creative can adapt throughout the day to reflect changing needs.

A coffee brand can promote breakfast offers in the morning. A food delivery service can target lunchtime demand. A gym can advertise evening classes from late afternoon onwards. This dynamic approach ensures your budget works efficiently across the entire working day.

Targeting the Right Business Districts

Effective lift advertising starts with understanding the wider commercial landscape.

Not all office buildings attract the same audience. Financial hubs such as the City of London or Canary Wharf are ideal for wealth management, fintech, and corporate services. Creative and tech clusters in Manchester, Leeds, or Shoreditch offer strong alignment for SaaS platforms and media brands.

By selecting buildings based on tenant mix and location intelligence, you concentrate spend on dense clusters of relevant professionals. This precision reduces wastage and increases impact.

Reaching People in the Right Mindset

Inside an office building, people are thinking about productivity, performance, and growth. That mental state creates a receptive audience for business-focused messaging.

A finance director standing in a lift is far more open to considering a new software solution than when scrolling casually at home. Your advert meets them in the moment their priorities align with your proposition.

Consumer brands can also benefit. Healthy food options, commuter services, stress-relief experiences, and premium retail all resonate strongly in a workplace environment. When your message reflects the rhythm of the working day, it feels relevant rather than intrusive.

Measuring Performance and Footfall

Security turnstiles and building management systems provide accurate daily footfall data. This gives you verified audience numbers and realistic impression forecasts.

By incorporating a clear QR code or short URL, you create a direct response mechanism. Professionals can scan on their way to lunch or between meetings, allowing you to track engagement from specific buildings or districts.

The result is a campaign that combines physical presence with digital accountability.

Simplifying the Process

The UK commercial property market is fragmented across numerous landlords and media owners. Securing placements across multiple buildings can be complex and time-consuming.

Working with an integrated media agency such as One Day removes that friction. From planning and buying to coordination and reporting, campaigns can be executed smoothly across single sites or multiple cities.

The lift ride may last seconds. With the right strategy, the brand impact lasts much longer.

Types of Screens to Use in Office Buildings

Digital Screens Inside the Lift

The most popular format for office advertising is the digital lift screen. Positioned at eye level within the carriage, these high-definition displays offer dynamic video and static image capabilities.

Inside a lift, people are only there for a short amount of time, so your message needs to be bold and clear. Complex wording won’t have time to sink in. Instead, use visually striking elements like high-quality imagery, a clear brand logo, and a single call to action. The impact of these visuals is made even more powerful when coupled with repetition. For example, someone could see the same screen several times a day, further reinforcing your brand.

Reception and Lobby Displays

Before the lift, reception areas are prime real estate. People linger here as they wait, providing an opportunity for longer-form messaging. Large-format digital screens in these spaces can display more detailed information, but still need to be visually captivating.

Day-parting technology also lets you tailor the messaging to the time of day, ensuring it is relevant to the audience’s needs. If you can tailor your creative to reflect both time-sensitive promotions and professional needs, your ads will be even more effective

With the right approach, advertising in lifts and office buildings becomes a highly effective way to reach a key demographic of busy professionals. By understanding the nuances of the space and tailoring your creative to suit, you can drive awareness and action in one of the most captive, high-value environments. Whether you're a global brand or a local business, lift and lobby advertising offers a smart way to amplify your message.