18/06/2007

• Edinburgh-based Leith Agency develops humorous £350,000 pilot campaign
• Series of ads to be shown in areas around Cambridge and Peterborough
• Plans for national roll-out to attract more passengers to public transport

Stagecoach has hired the agency behind the famous Irn-Bru soft drinks adverts to develop a TV consumer advertising campaign to encourage Britain to get on board the bus.

A series of three 40-second adverts, created by the award-winning Edinburgh-based Leith Agency, will be aired in the Anglia West TV region from today.

The £350,000 pilot campaign, the first of its kind in the UK, is being targeted at consumers in the areas around Cambridge and Peterborough.

Plans are also being drawn up to roll the campaign out to further key locations around the UK if the advertising in the south-east of England is a success.

Actor Tom Baker recorded the voiceover for the adverts, which were directed by Damien O’Donnell, who is well known for his comedy such as in the feature length film East is East and TV commercial for Irn-Bru 32.

The ads feature three humorous characters:  WAG Tanya Brown, academic Professor Harold Hooterson and “green” enthusiast Gayle Windybottom.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: “This is a completely fresh way to market public transport and a first for the UK. Buses are for everyone and carry a diverse range of customers from lots of different backgrounds.

“Stagecoach has attracted rising numbers of passengers for the past five years in a row. We believe that with increasing congestion and more environmental awareness, there is huge potential to get even more people on board the nation’s buses.”

Leith Agency Partner Ed Brooke said: "The brief for the Stagecoach TV campaign originated from the thought that ‘you'd be surprised who travels on the buses’. We sought to take this thought and dramatise it in a humorous way that would put a smile on people’s faces.

“This kind of approach is novel in transport advertising, but our view is that if people feel warm towards a transport brand then they're more likely to use it."

The Anglia campaign will initially run for six weeks, with a further six-week run in September and October.

Passengers have flooded on to the buses in Cambridge since Stagecoach invested more than £4million in a new citi-branded bus network in November 2001.

A fleet of 40 new low-floor vehicles, a simplified network and fares structure, 10-minute turn-up-and-go services, comprehensive marketing and improved information for customers has seen the number of passengers travelling by bus in Cambridge jump by around 85%.

Bus use has also been boosted by a strong partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council and other local organisations and businesses, which has included the introduction of important bus priority measures.

In Peterborough, passenger numbers have shot up by around 30% since April 2004 after the launch of similar package of citi-branded services, new vehicles and a simplified network.

Stagecoach has been using bus industry-leading customer profiling research for a number of years to encourage motorists to switch to the bus. The company’s telemarketing unit in Perth has undertaken more than 50 projects in the UK, covering around 500,000 potential customers, with the offer of a week’s free travel. This approach has seen conversion rates of up to 25% in some parts of the country.

ENDS

For further information, contact:

Steve Stewart, Director of Corporate Communications
Stagecoach Group
Tel: 01738 442111 (office) or 07764 774680 (mobile)
email: steven.stewart@stagecoachgroup.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Images

Hi resolution still images from the TV ads are available on request.

Stagecoach

Stagecoach is one of the biggest bus operators in the UK, running more than 7,000 vehicles in around 100 towns and cities from the Highlands of Scotland to south-west England.

Leith Agency

The Leith Agency is the largest and most successful marketing services agency in Scotland, employing over 60 people in Edinburgh. It has been voted Scottish Agency of the Year for the last five years and counts Irn-Bru and the Scottish Executive amongst its clients.