From Board Game to Brand Game: Monopoly’s Tube Legacy and Your Station Advertising Advantage

Ask almost anyone in Britain to name a few London Underground stations, and you might be surprised how many reply with: “King’s Cross”, “Marylebone”, or “Liverpool Street”. Their reference point? The classic Monopoly board.

Originally released in the UK in 1936, Monopoly was localised to reflect London's iconic geography—placing Underground and mainline stations like Liverpool Street, Marylebone, and King’s Cross St. Pancras squarely in the cultural consciousness. But what started as play has evolved into powerful brand positioning.

The Original Monopoly Tube Line-up

The original UK Monopoly board featured four railways:

• Liverpool Street Station
• Marylebone Station
• King’s Cross Station
• Fenchurch Street (sadly, not on the Tube network)

These stations remain vital to London’s transport network today—each seeing tens of millions of entries and exits annually. King’s Cross St. Pancras alone welcomed over 97 million passengers last year.

But the Monopoly map doesn’t stop at the stations. Many property squares are also based on areas with Underground access. Here's how some of the most iconic Monopoly spots line up with real-world Tube stations:

8 Monopoly Locations and Their Tube Counterparts

Liverpool Street Station

🚇 Liverpool Street

Annual passengers: 69.5 million

Audience: Financial services, tech workers, weekend travellers

Ad formats: Digital Escalator Panels, 48 Sheet Platforms, D6s 

Marylebone Station

🚇 Marylebone

Annual passengers: 16.6 million

Audience: Affluent commuters, regional rail passengers, day-trippers

Ad formats: Ticket Gateway Ads, Station Takeovers

King’s Cross Station

🚇 King’s Cross St Pancras

Annual passengers: 97 million

Audience: International tourists, students, high-volume commuters

Ad formats: Digital Ribbon, D12 Screens, Full Takeovers

Fenchurch Street Station

🚇 Tower Hill

Annual passengers: 21.7 million

Audience: City professionals, Crown Jewels visitors, river cruise tourists

Ad formats: Digital 6 Sheets, Escalator Panels

The Angel, Islington

🚇 Angel

Annual passengers: 34.3 million

Audience: Young professionals, creative agencies, nightlife crowd

Ad formats: D6s, Escalator Panels, Tube Car Panels

Leicester Square

🚇 Leicester Square

Annual passengers: 42.4 million

Audience: Tourists, theatre-goers, food & drink crowd

Ad formats: Digital Gateway Screens, 16 Sheet Platforms

Oxford Street

🚇 Oxford Circus

Annual passengers: 84.1 million

Audience: Shoppers, fashion-forward audiences, Gen Z footfall

Ad formats: Station Takeovers, DX48 Screens

Park Lane

🚇 Hyde Park Corner

Annual passengers: 15.4 million

Audience: Luxury shoppers, hotel guests, Mayfair residents

Ad formats: 6 Sheets, D6s, premium branding for luxury and finance brands

What Monopoly Teaches Brands About Station Value

In Monopoly, owning station squares offers a strategic advantage—they’re landed on frequently, and offer a steady stream of income. The same logic applies in real-world OOH advertising: place your brand where the most people pass through.

Monopoly-associated stations offer:

• Iconic Name Recognition – Instantly familiar to both locals and tourists
• High Footfall Figures – With Oxford Circus alone seeing over 84 million annual users
• Demographic Diversity – From daily commuters to international visitors and weekend shoppers

This makes them ideal for:

• National launches with cultural resonance
• Lifestyle brands seeking visibility near entertainment or retail hubs
• Government or public sector campaigns targeting mass awareness

Let Your Brand Pass Go

With formats like Digital Escalator Panels, 16-Sheet Platform Posters, and full Station Takeovers, you can take a classic location and give it cutting-edge treatment.

Pair nostalgic familiarity with new-gen targeting to deliver campaigns that resonate and convert.

Whether it’s building awareness at King’s Cross, sparking delight at Angel, or owning the commercial epicentre of Oxford Circus, the London Underground remains one of the most strategic boards to play on.

Make your next move count.