The Brief
Suffolk may have a reputation for being sleepy but Great Eastern kicked
off a railway war in Ipswich on May 24. Having previously operated under
a cosy duopoly with the main operator Anglia, GER decided it was time to
introduce competition and undercut Anglia’s fare by 15%.
The only problem with this aggressive stance was that Anglia owned
Ipswich station - preventing any promotion at the point of sale.
GER called in Claydon Heeley International (CHI) to raise local
awareness of its new fares.
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CHI suggested spending 10% of GER’s annual advertising budget on
cracking this key station.
It united all communication under a simple banner - ’Ipswich to Great
Eastern’ - but used a range of media.
Two radio commercials, bought on SGR and The Breeze, were created for
the two distinct audiences: commuters, who tended to be AB professionals
travelling to the City; and day-trippers, who were principally C1/C2
locals.
CHI backed the radio slots with local press ads featuring removable
coupons that ensured the GER fare at the ticket office.
While adshels were used to show a generic GER campaign, CHI employed
alternative media to make up for the lack of standard poster sites. It
communicated the message to motorists via petrol pump ads, windscreen
flyers and 48-sheet posters on vans.
The ad agency arranged the sponsorship of the printed guide to the
popular County Show with the message ’No Bull, No Porkies, No Kidding.
Our prices are leaner’.
Adding an element of guerrilla marketing, CHI not only advertised on the
hotel opposite the railway station but above the station via a huge
helium balloon.
Finally, a door drop of leaflets to all households within a 20-mile
radius ensured blanket coverage of the community.
The Result
It had been a bit of a gamble to try undercutting Anglia, but the
year-on-year figures showed that GER gained a three-fold increase in
revenue compared with the previous June.
Client: Great Eastern Railway; Peter Robinson, marketing manager
±±¾©Èü³µpk10: GER to Ipswich
Agency: Claydon Heeley International
Timescale: June 1998
Budget: pounds 150,000
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