Advertising on the The Isle of Wight is quite simply a marketer’s dream. If you want a captive audience, this is the place to look!
With the Solent crossing often cited as being the most expensive in the world, residents of the island don’t like to travel far afield to get the products and services that they need. Go to them and, quite simply, they are likely to come to you. Yet, it is also a place with an undeniable draw, meaning visitors are more than willing to pay the price for a trip.
The fact that it is a relatively small island covering just 150 square miles is also a major advantage to outdoor advertisers. There are plenty of sites that will be regularly passed by a huge number of its residents, not to mention the millions of tourists, music lovers, and sailing enthusiasts who flock to the Isle of Wight each and every year.
Population
The population of the Isle of Wight is just over 140,000 but around 2.5 million visitors also make the short hop across the Solent each year providing high value opportunities to advertise on the Isle of Wight.
Tourism
The popular resorts of the Isle of Wight have been a haven for tourists since Victoria sat on the throne and thousands still make the same Solent crossings every year for short-breaks, main vacations, or to attend the plethora of events on the Island’s calendar.
Lying just four miles from mainland Britain, the Isle of Wight can be reached in as little as ten minutes and yet, for tourists, it can seem like a world away from their everyday life. That is one of the major draws for visitors who want to experience the feeling of going ‘away’ from Britain without the travelling time and effort.
Sailing and sport
The Isle of Wight is a sailing haven, attracting thousands of competitors to its regular regattas, not to mention world-renowned names such as Dame Helen MacArthur who call it their home.
Each August, Cowes Week attracts more than 1,000 yachts and around 8,500 competitors, attending what is now the world’s longest-running regatta of its kind. Many more spectators are drawn to the island at this time of year, as they are when Cowes plays host to other staples on the yachting calendar, ranging from the Fastnet race and the Round the Island Race to the Commodore’s Cup and the Admiral’s Cup.
The island is also a major hotspot for cyclists, hosting the annual Isle of Wight Cycling Festival and the Isle of Wight Randonee. It was also named in the Lonely Planet’s top ten Best in Travel Guide because of its prowess as a cycling location.
Other sports and hobbies popular in the area include rowing, trampolining, ice hockey, and speedway. It is also the location of Britain’s oldest continuously-run marathon, residents take part in the Island Games every two years, and the island attracts up the 7,000 people each year for one of the planet’s biggest scooter rallies providing further options to advertise on the Isle of Wight.
Festivals
The Isle of Wight plays host to two major music festivals each year; the Isle of Wight Festival in June and Bestival in September. Tens of thousands of people flock to the island to camp, spend, and listen to some of the biggest names in global music.
Household types
The island is a popular retirement destination, but also attracts families and single people looking to take advantage of what many perceive to be a more sedate pace of life than experienced in other parts of the country. Many commuters choose to live on the island and work in Southampton or Portsmouth.
The population is expected to increase at one of the fastest rates in the south east in the period until 2033.
