CREATIVE STRATEGY: Eurostar's new campaign teases and entices

By Simon S Kershaw, brandrepublic.com, Thursday, 20 September 2012 03:51PM

We seem to have a travel theme going on. Last week, it was British Airways. Now for a brand that's more ... down to earth, shall we say.

Eurostar: latest campaign compares the old and the new

As much as I admire BA’s campaigns for London 2012, nothing would persuade me to get on a plane to Paris when I can hop on Eurostar. 

While Eurostar, like any other transport system, has had its problems, it's never let me down. 

But the service isn’t just reliable. It’s as fast and sexy as a bright young Parisian whizzing through the city on their new scooter. 

So, gentle reader, you can call me a convert. And that begs the question – what more can Eurostar do for its loyal customers, let alone the unconverted?

Let’s take a look at Eurostar’s current campaign. No sign of the yellow-nosed train. Instead, the strategy is focused on the destinations. Nothing new in that you might say. 

But this is more subtle than usual destination ads. Subversive even. Rather than clichés like the Eiffel Tower, we have, for example, a side-by-side comparison of the original Little Black Dress versus Essex girls in tarty outfits. Each execution carries the line, "Bring something interesting back".

The ads imply that there's much more to the continent than the obvious attractions. Who knew that the Belgians invented that most English of games, cricket? And there’s more than a hint of sly digs at British culture and values. 

In other words: escape the mundane and tacky for something more uplifting (literally, if you’re talking about bras).  

As a Eurostarphile, the campaign inspires me to look forward to my next trip and maybe think a bit deeper about what I should get up to on the other side of La Manche. Bon vacances!

Simon S Kershaw is a creative consultant and a former creative director at Craik Jones

This article was first published on brandrepublic.com