More than 800,000 low cost fares made available over 23-week campaign
Train operator East Coast is launching a bold new marketing campaign to attract motorists and domestic airline passengers onto its trains. The new ‘Miniature Prices’ campaign promotes East Coast’s value for money fares to enticing leisure destinations along the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland.
The campaign, which kicks off on Monday (15 February) is expected to generate over £10 million worth of ticket sales this year. It will run initially up to the end of April and be repeated in a two-month burst from August. More than 800,000 of East Coast’s lowest priced fares are being made available during the campaign. These include London to Leeds or York from £13, Newcastle from £15 and Edinburgh from £16.50.
Popular TV star Bernard Cribbins, who starred in the last series of ‘Doctor Who’ and who also featured as the stationmaster in the definitive film of E. Nesbit’s classic ‘The Railway Children’, provides the voice behind East Coast’s first TV advertising.
East Coast’s trains carry more than 18 million customers a year, and the new campaign will be seen in national newspapers, tv and online media, plus on large billboard posters throughout the route.
The advertisements feature miniature character models travelling for a variety of reasons to destinations such as London, York, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. The creative executions include two bandaged-up mummies on their way to a museum, ramblers exploring the Yorkshire countryside, a father and son visiting the zoo, a trip to the races, costumed characters en route to the London Marathon and a group of ladies on a night out.
East Coast’s commercial director Peter Williams said: “The new Miniature Prices campaign takes as its inspiration the great value advance fares available on our trains – and the exciting choice of low-cost or free visitor attractions on our route.
“We’ve teamed up with multi-award winning animator Darren Walsh – the driving force behind Sony Bravia’s ‘Play-Doh Rabbits’ creatives – to produce the new ‘Miniature Prices’ television advertising.
“This is an extensive new campaign. We’re delighted with the result and we’re looking forward to a very positive reaction when it goes live”.
As well as on television, the ‘Miniature Prices’ advertising will be seen nationwide on the following media:
- Outdoor media in all major cities along the East Coast route including bus shelter posters (6-sheet) and bus sides
- London Underground tube car and escalator panels
- Online advertising on various websites, including the MSN and Yahoo! Home pages, mapping sites such as Streetmap and Multimap, and National Rail Enquiries
- Print media – ‘Metro’ free newspaper in all regions along the East Coast route
Each video creative appears in 10-second and 20-second adaptations – and each ends with an East Coast liveried model train pulling into the station and promoting a destination with a lowest Standard Advance fare.
Notes to Editors:
London-based agencty Dentsu worked with East Coast on the 'Miniature Prices' campaign.
The ‘Miniature Prices’ campaign promotes East Coast’s range of advance purchase fares. Prices quoted include a ten per cent discount available only when booking through the train operator’s website, www.eastcoast.co.uk.
Advance purchase tickets must be bought up to 1800 on the day before travel. Customers are advised to book as far in advance as possible to secure the best deals – tickets usually go on sale 12 weeks before the date of travel.
Full details of the terms and conditions applying to East Coast’s Advance fares can be found online at: www.eastcoast.co.uk/Travel-Information/General-ticket-information/Ticket-Sales-Terms-and-Conditions.