And, as well as doing the usual London things, I found myself doing something else I genuinely enjoy - Looking at the advertising.

Yes, I know. I’m a marketer. I probably need to get out more.

But there is something about the London Underground that makes me notice advertising in a way I don't always do elsewhere.  Perhaps it's because you can't really escape it.

You're standing on a platform. Sitting on a Tube. Walking through a station. And suddenly something catches your eye.

Not because it's necessarily bigger or louder than everything else.  But because it is clever, relevant, unexpected or just makes you smile. And I love it.

The advertising I go looking for

One of my favourite examples is On The Board, the handwritten messages that appear around the Underground.

They might mark a celebrity's birthday or death, celebrate a national awareness day, acknowledge a significant event or simply give passengers something to smile about.  There's something wonderfully human about them.

• They're handwritten.
• They're topical.
• They're often playful.

And they feel as though they've been created for the people who happen to be passing that particular station at that particular moment.

• They're not trying to sell you anything.
• And yet you notice them.
• You might stop and read them.
• You might take a photograph.
• You might tell someone about them.

That's marketing doing something rather clever without shouting MARKETING! at you.

Then there are the stations themselves

I also love it when stations are temporarily renamed or transformed as part of a campaign.  Take something you see every day and make it just different enough that people have to look twice.  It's a simple idea, but it's incredibly effective because the environment becomes part of the creative.

The advertising isn't just sitting in the Tube.  The Tube is helping tell the story.

And then there was Coronation Street (if you know, you know).  On Saturday I spotted an ITV campaign celebrating Coronation Street.  A huge billboard packed with references that fans would instantly recognise.

• Betty's hotpot.
• Hilda's three ducks.
• Little details and phrases that have become part of the programme's history.

It wasn't simply “Watch Coronation Street on ITV.” It was more like “You know these, don't you?”. And if you did, you probably stopped.  That is what I liked about it.

It wasn't just promoting a television programme.  It was tapping into memory, nostalgia and shared cultural references. It rewarded the people who already knew the show. And it made them feel part of the campaign. That's clever.

So what's the marketing lesson?

There are millions of journeys made across the TfL network, and there is no shortage of brands competing for passengers' attention.  But I don't think the best campaigns win because they shout the loudest.  They win because they're relevant.

• They understand the place.
• They understand the audience.
• They understand the moment.

And they use those things creatively.

• That could mean referencing something happening in the news.
• Using a local landmark.
• Playing with the name of a station.
• Recognising a national awareness day.
• Using nostalgia.

Or simply making someone smile when they're expecting nothing more than another journey to work.. and that got me thinking... do smaller businesses sometimes make marketing harder than it needs to be?

You don't need a Tube-sized budget

Of course, most businesses aren't going to rename a Tube station, and most of us don't have ITV's advertising budget. But we don't need to. The principle is much more accessible:

• Know your place
• Know your people
• Know your moment

A local café could create a handwritten board referencing the Christmas market, festival or sporting event happening just around the corner.

A small independent retailer could use a local landmark, piece of history or something only locals will recognise in its window display.

A professional services firm could take something its clients are already talking about, a change in legislation, an industry event or a topical story, and add something genuinely useful to the conversation.

None of those ideas needs a huge budget. They need attention. You have to notice what's happening around you.

And that's perhaps the bit I like most about the Tube advertising. It reminds me to look up. To look around. To pay attention to what people are talking about, what they're interested in and what might make them stop for a moment.

Personalisation doesn't always mean personal data

We often talk about personalised marketing as though it means putting someone's first name into an email or using data to serve them a different advert. It can be much simpler than that.  Personalisation can mean relevance.

• It can mean understanding where someone is.
• What they care about.
• What they're talking about.
• What they remember.
• What will make them smile.

Or what will make them think “That's so me.”

And that doesn't require sophisticated technology or a huge marketing budget.  It requires paying attention.

Look up from the marketing plan occasionally

I spend a lot of time telling businesses that they need a plan. And I stand by that.

But sometimes the best marketing opportunity isn't something that was in the plan six months ago.   Sometimes it's something that happend yesterday

• A local event.
• A news story.
• A customer conversation.
• A cultural moment.
• Something your audience is suddenly talking about.

Something that gives you an opportunity to say “We've noticed this too.” That's why I think the best Tube advertising is such a good example of #goodmarketing.  It's not necessarily about spending more.  It's about thinking more carefully about the opportunity in front of you.

The Tube has become a bit of a marketing treasure hunt for me.  I travel through London and find myself looking around to see what I can spot.  And I'm not the only one.  There are social media accounts dedicated to sharing examples of Tube advertising.

• People photograph it.
• People share it.
• People talk about it.
• People actively look out for it.
• When people start looking for your marketing rather than trying to avoid it... that's pretty good marketing.

So next time you're thinking about your next campaign, perhaps don't just ask “What are we going to say?” Ask:

• “Where will our audience see it?”
• “What's happening around them?”
• “What will make it relevant to them right now?”

And perhaps most importantly “Can we give them something worth noticing?” Because you don't need a Tube station to create #goodmarketing.  You just need to look up and pay attention.

And yes... I'll still be travelling on the Tube looking for it.  In the wild. Where the best marketing sometimes is.