Millennium Dome launches £3 million ad campaign

Dome operator the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) is to launch a £3m through-the-line ad campaign later this week in an attempt to target people unconvinced by its critics.

The campaign will use the strapline: ‘You’ve got a mind of your own: take it to the Dome.’ Of the £3m budget, £2m will be spent on TV and press ads, with £1m set aside for leafleting and sales promotions, including discounted tickets and special offers. The campaign will be rolled out in three phases.

The first will consist of TV ads mocking people who dismiss something without trying it. The second will comprise a national press campaign focusing on the Dome’s content, while the third will use regional press campaigns to provide details of the travel packages available from provincial cities. This last stage reflects a condition laid down by the Millennium Commission when it granted a further £3m for marketing to the Dome in May.

NMEC marketing director Sholto Douglas-Home says: ‘The Dome has not been a highly-marketed project. The ad spend has been less than four per cent of sales. For a Disney-type attraction, the figure should be as high as 15 to 20 per cent.’