On 6 February Eurostar, the high-speed passenger rail service linking the UK and mainland Europe, launched the next phase of its ‘You see more when you don’t fly’ campaign, designed to showcase that the best breaks start and end with a Eurostar journey straight to the heart of European cities by train.
The latest instalment of the campaign sees the return of the ostrich, a character which rejects flying in favour of a better way to travel. The campaign aims to demonstrate the benefits of travel by high-speed rail whilst encouraging travellers to choose Eurostar destinations.
Two 30-second spots show the ostrich making the most of the time gained by taking Eurostar as it ambles through a beautiful Parisian market in the UK market version. For French, Belgium and Dutch audiences, the advert is set in a punk exhibition at a London gallery, bringing to life the excitement of the city. The ostrich explores destinations all while looking that little bit closer and lingering longer thanks to time saved by arriving in the city centre.
Created by ENGINE, the character was first launched at the end of 2019 in print, outdoor and digital formats but this time brought to life for TV, cinema and online audiences by Patrick Daughters at Gorgeous and the team at MPC. The campaign will be supported with social media edits, digital display, CRM and on Eurostar.com.
Richard Sherwood, Customer Engagement Director at Eurostar said: “The latest phase of our campaign reinforces the benefits of travelling by Eurostar – taking customers to the city centre and allowing them to see more on the journey and see more when they arrive. The new TVC’s have a bold and refreshing feel which reflects a return to our challenger brand routes as we remind audiences that high-speed rail is a fast and relaxing to travel.”
Leon Jaume, Executive Creative Director at ENGINE, said: “The determined non-flyer has two heroes: Eurostar and the ostrich. They are brought together in the new Eurostar TV campaign to demonstrate the joy of arriving in the centre of a European capital with your serenity intact, eager to get the most out of the weekend. The ostrich was hatched by Richard Nott and David Dearlove at Engine and nurtured into maturity by Patrick Daughters’ direction and MPC’s sorcery.”
Alex Snookes, VFX Supervisor at MPC said: “Working on this project required a lot of meticulous planning and MPC’s involvement right from the very start. MPC worked closely with Patrick Daughters, David Dearlove and Richard Nott to offer our creative input, making sure the VFX was applied in the best possible way. The biggest challenge was bringing Patrick’s vision of the ostrich to life and giving it a fun and engaging character. Overall, it was a great collaborative process and a fun campaign to have been part of.”
The campaign will run nationally across TV and Cinema in the UK and France throughout February and will launch later in the year across Belgium. In the UK, the advert will be shown across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky on broadcast channels and On Demand.
(Source: Eurostar)
