How the right media partnership can light up a campaign

Challenge

To turn Christmas shoppers on to Regent Street and St James’s.

The Christmas light switch-on, in November, is the biggest event of the year for both of these famous retail destinations. It marks the start of the holiday season and is a key sales period for retailers.

The Crown Estate asked The Grove Media to drive footfall to the Regent Street Christmas light switch-on, establishing both areas as must-visit Christmas shopping destinations.

Solution

Regent Street and St James’s have distinct offers that cater to slightly different audiences. We needed a media partner that could reach them both. Alongside a multichannel awareness campaign, we were looking for a partner that could deliver additional frequency and engagement throughout the campaign period.

When in doubt, turn to Time Out. The proven solution for Londoners when they’re looking some inspiration, and the perfect media perfect partner for the job. Not only do they have a loyal and diverse audience, but multiple touchpoints with which to engage them.

The campaign launched with a double-page pull-out map on the week of the light switch-on, showcasing all the retailer offers at the big event. The package also included print advertorials across four consecutive weeks, outlining the different events happening in St James’s. Print was supported with digital traffic drivers, a solus newsletter and ‘social cards’, a brand-new Time Out format. Collectively this range of formats delivered the most impact, reach and engagement for our budget.

Results

In total, the media campaign helped drive over 150k people to Regent Street on the day. Click through rates for the Time Out social cards are currently amongst the top 10 performers Time Out have ever seen. The solus newsletter had an open rate of double the benchmark.