SUBLIMINAL ADVERTISING WORKS

SUBLIMINAL ADVERTISING IS THE MOST POWERFUL OF ALL

As committee members of the Friends of Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, one of our tasks is to encourage businesses and corporations to sponsor our events programme. The two iconic parks stretch from Baker Street and Marylebone to Camden Town and St John’s Wood through to Chalk Farm, meaning that there is a wealth of organisations who are willing to support our ventures.

Why do companies like Sandfords, our major sponsor chose to sponsor us, as well as paying for the ‘above the line’ advertising that is essential to their business? Advertising has advantages because the advertiser, with good planning, can chose the right media to suit their needs, reaching the largest number of potential targets. It also helps to shape a brand, as the advertiser has control over the image and the message that is published. If they pay enough, they can also choose the position where their advertisement is run. All at a price, of course. PR, its sibling, also plays a role alongside advertising. It is said that a good PR created story in the media is valued at 3.5 times the advertising value, because the power of editorial and its implied endorsement is more powerful. In the old days, possibly even now, PR agencies would evaluate how much space they had won in targeted media by researching the space cost in advertising spend and multiplying it out by the said 3.5, hammering home to the client how valuable the PR obtained was worth and justifying agency fees as a result.

Subliminal advertising is a subtle addition to the mix. We’ve all seen sports fixtures on television, where the stadiums are rimmed with advertising; known as signage. The millions of viewers who watch the two clubs fight it out on air, are absorbing the advertisers branding. There are many forms of subliminal advertising from the obvious visual display at major events to the more discreet. The key is a good brand match, sponsoring an event that shares and reinforces the same values. The tactic of plastering one’s name all over a product that was the exact opposite, hoping the mud would stick, has long gone out of fashion. Cigarette companies are no longer routinely associated with sports events – perhaps it should never have been known as sponsorship but wishful thinking; linking one’s name, as they used to, with a wholesome activity.

In terms of visitor numbers to our parks, we do not have the latest figures but in 2014, annual traffic was measured at 11 million visits. These numbers were scientifically evaluated via park cameras and other data capturing techniques. It is estimated that 60% of this traffic takes place during the summer months – it tends to be the hardened dog walkers and other determined park users who equip themselves for a trudge through the park in Winter. That means during the summer months there were an estimated 6.6 million visitors. From Sandfords point of view, some of those people would be tourists and not their target market – unless of course they were thinking of a second home in London – but the 2014 market research showed that a significant majority of these millions were locals; walking to work, enjoying the park, dog walking, working out or simply having their lunch. Thanks to the pandemic more people than ever before have discovered the park and have continued to use it now things have normalised.

From our sponsors point of view, their investment is underlining their support of the community. Sandfords has a reputation for the personal touch, knowing the area, having an in-depth knowledge of housing stock and understanding its customer base far better than national companies following a centrist policy. One dog walker I talk to regularly in the park, sold her town house with an adjoining mews for an eye watering amount of millions through Sandfords. She told me that she felt they really understood her needs and the client service was top notch. Seeing the branding throughout the Summer repeats the message of being part of the area, time and again and results in recall.

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Says Andrew Ellinas, Sandfords “We have dug into our pockets for another year, because we love the fact that The Regent’s Park Festival gives so much. Our funding allows the concerts to be run for free and it is an asset to the area. It makes good business sense to be part of that. I do believe our visible presence helps people recall our name and contact us when they need our services.”