“Station Domination” Promotes RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016 in London Underground

When we were in London last week, we saw a “station domination” in the London Underground (the Tube) promoting the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which attracted more than 165,000 visitors and 500 exhibitors, by its exclusive sponsor, M&G Investments.

The station domination, also referred to as an “advertising takeover”, was executed at Sloane Square, the closest station to the show venue on the Tube, London’s public rapid transit system which sees 3.5 million passenger journeys a day.  The execution used all of the ad inventory we saw in this station, including platform posters, escalator panels, ticket gateways and corridor units.  According to an M&G blog post, the total allocation at the Sloane Square station was “200 or so advertising spaces”.

This type of saturation advertising made it virtually impossible to miss the message as you entered or left the station.  Consider the high-frequency escalator panel execution – these ad units covered our entire journey from the train platform all the way up to the exit level of the station, and there was not much else to look at during this ride… so you are a captive audience!

We liked the way all of the creative was synced i.e. the same design was used across all ad formats so wherever you looked you saw the same colors, graphics, etc.  This strategy created an immersive experience.

If you are looking for new ways to stand out from the crowd and engage your audience, consider an advertising takeover but keep in mind this type of concentrated media weight also concentrates your ad spend so make sure your geo-targeting strategy is solid.

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Posted on May 31, 2016