Category: Public Sector Campaign

Company: Translink

Entry title: Launch - Energising

Brief and objectives: ’s bus & train public transport provider Translink needed a PR campaign to launch the country’s first ever Rapid Transit Service - Glider.

As a brand new mode of travel, Glider would for the first time provide direct cross-city services connecting east and west Belfast.

Translink needed to build public awareness of Glider, secure stakeholder support for the service and deliver passenger growth plus increased revenue.

The idea, research and planning: Representing a government investment of £90 million, Glider would be a major development for NI public transport operating in areas previously served by Translink bus services.

The Glider identity evoked a smooth, calm and effortless sense of movement that complemented striking violet eco-hybrid vehicles and infrastructure including new halts, oozing quality, modernity and a touch of cool.

Customer experience mapping, contextual studies and our situation analysis shaped campaign messaging by identifying Glider Strengths e.g. new modern fleet, faster journeys; Opportunities e.g. cross-city routes bridging cultural divides & supporting social inclusion, reducing congestion; Weaknesses e.g. limited seating, no driver interaction; and Threats e.g. Glider bus lane objections and NI car dependency (>50% travelling into Belfast City Centre at morning peak use car).

We also identified 7 core Glider Values that would underpin our campaign: Connected, Effortless, Great Value, Innovative, Aspirational, ‘Of A New Energised Belfast’ and Environmentally-Friendly.

We would build such a city buzz around Glider and generate a FOMO effect by the official launch.

Target audiences included:

 Current public transport users

 Work & leisure commuters plus residents currently using car

 ‘Evening economy’ visitors

 Education - students/pupils

 Health - hospitals staff/visitors/patients

 Emergency services

 Large employers

 Representative bodies – Accessibility, Community, Business

 Elected reps.

Strategy, tactics, creativity and innovation: Our integrated communications strategy featured 3 core layers –

 BUILD public awareness & engagement

 SECURE stakeholder support

 LAUNCH new service.

We combined paid, earned, shared and owned (PESO) communications tactics including:

 Roadshow & engagement sessions/presentations: showcasing new vehicle, ticketing system, routes and delivering public safety messages

 Passenger Information: ’How to use’ & safety guides – print, audio, video, e-zines • Incentives: e.g. distribution of free travelcards

 Digital: Dedicated web microsite and social media campaign using #GliderBelfast

 Sponsorships: supporting local communities

 Example: ‘Come Glide With Me’ – we created a special preview Glider journey extravaganza showcasing the best in culture and gastronomy from both sides of the city delivered in partnership with EastSide Arts Festival (East) and Féile An Phobail (West).

 Media & stakeholder relations: including preview opportunities and Glider personnel interviews. Series of press releases, creative photocalls & videos drip-fed to highlight project milestones. Press office handled reactive enquiries on sensitive issues e.g. introduction of bus lanes  Internal Comms: ‘Team Talk’ updates, intranet stories, transport union engagement and Chief Executive blog updates

 Bus + Train Week: Glider took centre stage at Translink’s annual celebration of public transport and featured in a special Translink ‘Road Share NI’ drone film addressing the waste of space on roads due to car congestion

 Launch Celebrations:

 Iconic city landmarks lit up violet

 City Hall stakeholder & media launch – including Glider journey preview, special Glider Choir performances e.g. Ticket to Glide! & short film premiere to tell the Glider story

 Our ‘Incredible Big Show’ – free outdoor Glider cinema held in City Hall grounds featuring feel-good movies and complementing our ‘Glider: Coming Soon’ film premiere themed advertisements

 First Day of Service – media including biggest NI radio breakfast show outdoor broadcast based at Glider transport hub with presenters out and about on Glider chatting to customers. Travel prizes, Glider merchandise e.g. ‘Keep Calm & Glide’ Keep-Cups, commemorative tickets and even Glider blueberry donuts added to the customer journey experience

 First Week of Service – incentivized customers with exclusive Glider customer offers in partnership with Belfast food, drink & leisure retailers.

Delivery: June – Sept 2018.

Phase 1: BUILD [June 2018]:

 Roadshow & Stakeholder Engagement

 Digital platforms live

 Internal Communications Campaign

 Media engagement & Press Office

 Passenger information distribution

 Ezines & Newsletters

 Bus + Train Week celebrations.

Phase 2: SECURE [July – August 2018]:

 Main Phase 1 activity ongoing  Influencer advocacy features & social media endorsing Glider

 Sponsorships – maximising summer ‘feel-good’ factor association.

Phase 3: LAUNCH [August 30 – September 9 2018]:

 Landmark Light-ups

 VIP launch

 Outdoor Cinema

 First Day of Service Celebrations

 First Week Travel Incentives.

Measurement and evaluation: Outputs:

 200,000+ individuals engaged face-to-face across target audience groups via roadshow and stakeholder activity alone

 Key influencer Glider advocacy secured e.g. Belfast Chamber of Trade & Commerce, NI Consumer Council, Business in the Community, Tourism NI, Inclusive Mobility & Transport Advisory Committee plus all main political parties

 Secretary of State news release welcomed Glider public engagement campaign strategy

 200 VIP guests attended Glider launch celebration event at City Hall

 Glider Cinema sold out – 1500 audience & 100% positive audience feedback

 305.7k views of Glider video content on Translink social media channels during launch period

 Launch alone triggered 56,471 unique Translink Glider webpage views

 78.1 million Glider tweet impressions & 21.5 million #GliderBelfast impressions during launch period

 250+ positive Glider launch news stories covered across all main NI print, online and broadcast channels. 15m OTS

 Launch was a Top Story on main NI news platforms including BBC, ITV, Belfast Live & Belfast Telegraph websites.

Outcomes:

 Forecast 2 million+ extra journeys for 1st year of operation and over £2.7 million additional revenue (compared to previous Metro bus corridor performance)  Record 24% increase in passenger numbers, or 45,000 per week, since service launch

 Unprecedented passenger growth – already approaching government 2031 targets

 The extra 6500 daily passengers (50 full Gliders) is equivalent to removing 5650 cars or 32.5km of congestion from Belfast roads [One Glider removes 87 cars]

 90% reduction in NOx and particulate matter emissions improving city air quality

 Industry Recognition - ‘Come Glide with Me’ event won Arts & Business NI ’Cultural Branding’ Award, Glider launch campaign won: CIM Ireland ‘Best New Service Launch’ Award, Business in the Community ‘Responsible New Product’ Award and ‘Best MarComms Initiative’ at the Belfast Business Awards.

Budget and campaign impact: Delivered on budget - £55,000.

Due to Glider’s outstanding performance, Translink successfully delivered a record 84.5 million journeys in 2018/19, exceeding government targets and supporting the NI Programme for Government Key Outcome ‘to increase use of public transport’.

This Glider success story is also an investment catalyst for ‘Glider - Phase 2’ that will connect communities in North & South Belfast.