Viacom seeks Golden Jubilee bus sponsors

Viacom Outdoor is offering five companies the chance to sponsor London buses painted gold as part of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations this year.

For £200,000 a company can sponsor the outside of ten double-decker buses, which will operate in central and Greater London between April and November.

Companies will also have the option to brand seats and the interior of the buses for an additional fee.

Viacom Outdoor is in talks with companies about the packages, which have been created in association with Transport for London and the Golden Jubilee Committee.

During the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977, 25 London buses were sprayed silver and sponsored by various companies including the Abbey National bank, The Daily Mirror, Heinz and Kleenex.

The move is part of a marketing push to cash in on the celebrations, which are expected to bring much-needed tourism back to the capital.

Last week, the Notting Hill Carnival Trust said it was tripling the cost of sponsoring the event because there would be two carnivals this year, one of which will form part of a Jubilee carnival in June.

However, there are concerns that the British public is apathetic about the celebrations. Only eight per cent of people interviewed in an OMD survey said they were definitely going to celebrate the event.