The Sun is targeting Londoners with a £1 million outdoor
campaign from TBWA/London, as it attempts to reverse declining
circulations within the red top market.
Executions running across 48- and six-sheet poster sites, bus-sides and
ad gates will break on 1 November and run throughout the month.
The executions, which are tailored to the medium used, each take the
form of a giant newspaper hoarding, with the fake "headline" giving a
different subject area covered by the paper, such as "Footie", "Pay
day", "Getting the last night bus", and "Extra chilli sauce". Each
carries the strapline: "We love it."
The Sun currently maintains a healthy lead in the red top market, with a
circulation of 3,513,685, compared with The Mirror's 2,221,749.
However, The Sun lost some ground to its rival during September, when
the world's attention was turned to international affairs and The Sun's
coverage was described by many commentators as too lightweight.
At the same time, Express Newspapers' Daily Star has posted gains at the
bottom end of the market.
In response, the November poster drive appears designed to present The
Sun as in tune with the day-to-day concerns of London's inhabitants, yet
still approaching them in a light-hearted and accessible way.
"This campaign is a first for The Sun," the paper's marketing manager,
Roland Agambar, said. "It's being executed regionally and exploits a
variety of outdoor media opportunities. The creative message is
light-hearted and upbeat with some specific creative executions
concentrating on life in the capital."
The campaign was created by Steve Williams and Simon Hardy. Media
planning and buying is through Carat.
