Business marketing and the Notting Hill Carnival

Generally speaking events such as these carnivals, festivals and other events tend to attract a specific group of demographics or one particular demographic and this means that there is often the opportunity to create business exposure based on already established demographic segmentation. For example music festivals tend to attract certain crowds who will share a commonality based on a sub-culture or supra-culture.

A notable example of this would be the marketing beer company's use in promoting festivals that ties them in with a recreational pastime of a core demographic. Notting Hill Carnival is not in essence different from these events except that it is on a larger scale and attracts a more diverse segment of local and international populations. This then tells us the initial attraction that these kinds of events have for the purposes of marketing; they let businesses create a brand association with an enjoyable pastime whilst allowing companies to market their products and services to a broad or select audience.

Notting Hill Carnival generally receives over 1 million visitors so the base opportunities implementing marketing strategies are huge. The carnival receives media coverage throughout the year which means that there is plenty of exposure for sponsors outside of the core event. Previous sponsors of the carnival have included the computer game Dj Hero, Various Rum brands and various companies across a diverse range of markets. With the former examples we can see that they tie thematically with the carnival itself; rum is associated with South America and the Mardi Gras atmosphere that many people associate with this whilst Dj Hero is a game that taps into both the music of the festival and the general age range of its audience. The other sponsors (banks, technology etc.) use the diverse markets available to try to create similar associations to our previous discussion whilst gaining access to over 1 million eyes on their services. These sponsors might struggle to find such a direct thematic connotation for their brand marketing but the sheer volume of eyes on customers is an incredible opportunity nonetheless.

This really identifies the core brand marketing strategies that companies can utilise in events like Notting Hill Carnival - they can create positive connotations, create massive brand exposure and reach thousands of potential new customers. In terms of marketing opportunity and the cost to benefit ratio this provides it is an ideal opportunity for many businesses.

Finally, then, we can briefly look at the types of sponsorship opportunities the carnival offers. There is, at one level, direct sponsorship of the event itself which allows companies to be showcased on all marketing and promotional material. This is the biggest level of exposure for businesses and often entails the opportunity for float sponsorship, stalls and other displays within the carnival itself.

The second level of sponsorship, or engagement with the festival, comes from float sponsorship. Many float makers sell advertising space on their floats in order to recuperate the costs involved in creation and there are plenty of opportunities to acquire large media spaces available here. Everyone will watch the floats so you know that your message will find its audience. Finally there are other opportunities in the form of participation in the carnival itself, postering, flyering and having a stall or stalls within the parade route. In many ways these kinds of events are a marketers dream and you would do well to consider them in your brand marketing initiatives.