Building leisure traffic this autumn.

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Over 50% of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s fare revenue comes from leisure traffic - "unusual among train operators" - a line from a keynote speech today by Mark Hopwood at a GWR [tourism and leisure] partner seminar.   And this is a sector of the business that GWR are keen to expand, I suspect not only because of the wonderful places in the South West and South Wales that people can go to, but also because growth in this traffic is likely to be on trains which are not the jammed commuter ones.

Let's see who spots the new campaign first (no spoilers, please, from those of you I met at the seminar - lets' treat this like an embargo - won't be that way for long at all!)

[ChrisB]

Strange time of year to be starting this...you'd expect it early in a year, not towards the tail end of one?

[Adelante_CCT]

I won't spoil the game, but I'm assuming if you click here you may find the answer

[grahame]

I won't spoil the game, but I'm assuming if you click here you may find the answer

Indeed ...

The integrated campaign is supported by Cinema, OOH, Print, Radio, Social and Digital media and launches on September 23rd.

... so it looks like that's jumped the gun.

[Trowres]

And at 0:23, they are pointing at which station on the map?

[JayMac]

Appropriating another much loved icon of the 20th century.  

I wonder how much research into GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Enid Blyton Entertainment did before agreeing to this.

[grahame]

And at 0:23, they are pointing at which station on the map?

Looking frame by frame, the finger is drawn across the map to show that they can start on the TransWilts - from Chippenham through Melksham and Trowbridge to Westbury ... changing for onward services / the next series or frames looking to indicate they're headed for intermediate stations on the Newquay line.

[Western Pathfinder]

So That's All Good Then !
Essentially what they are doing are finding out what they do well and doing less of it better 

[Surrey 455]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ? OOH?

[Timmer]

First jumping the gun again? Surely better to wait until the new trains are in operation. Not only that but Autumn and winter is usually the time services are frequently disrupted due to engineering work. Hardly a good introduction to anyone using rail for the first time for leisure purposes and ending up on a bus or packed train.

[ellendune]

First jumping the gun again? Surely better to wait until the new trains are in operation. Not only that but Autumn and winter is usually the time services are frequently disrupted due to engineering work. Hardly a good introduction to anyone using rail for the first time for leisure purposes and ending up on a bus or packed train.

But by the time the disruption ends so will their franchise.  By only giving them a short franchise DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have left them with little alternative but to make the best of what they can.  Autumn and Winter is when the services are usually less crowded with leisure travellers so why not encourage more.

As for the claim that services are more usually disrupted by engineering works during this time - Have you tried travelling around the Swindon and Bristol area by rail during the summer? 

[grahame]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ? OOH?

Out-of-home media advertising (also OOH advertising or outdoor advertising) or out-of-home media (also OOH media or outdoor media) is advertising that reaches the consumers while they are outside their homes.

Billboards     for example

[martyjon]

And at 0:23, they are pointing at which station on the map?

Looking frame by frame, the finger is drawn across the map to show that they can start on the TransWilts - from Chippenham through Melksham and Trowbridge to Westbury ... changing for onward services / the next series or frames looking to indicate they're headed for intermediate stations on the Newquay line.

Wonder how much this cost the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) ?

If they were headed for the Newquay line lets see the sequel to their down journey, the return journey AFTER their adventures at Newquays SURFFEST, their 3 hour wait before finally being put on a rammed double decker bus with standing room only on both upper and lower decks only to be delivered to the main line station to discover they'd missed their booked train and were having to stand all the way back to Westbury where they had to be put into a taxi back to their home TransWilts station because the last northbound TransWilts line train of the day had long departed.

I loved the series of books when I was a kid but recently I was with my niece and her four and two year olds when I saw in a Toys 'R Us store a Five Go Adventuring book with the word 'BREXIT' in the title to which i remarked to my niece, "Gosh, is Enid Blyton still alive and writing."

[Timmer]

But by the time the disruption ends so will their franchise.  By only giving them a short franchise DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have left them with little alternative but to make the best of what they can.  Autumn and Winter is when the services are usually less crowded with leisure travellers so why not encourage more.

Agree, I can see why they are doing it because their franchise will be ending soon.

I stand by what I say that trying to promote people to leisure travel, particularly at weekends, right now is a bad move because of so much engineering work taking place leading to less services (overcrowding) or buses. That's of course if the service actually runs due to lack of train crew.

Also the advert is slightly misleading showing a sleek IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) when you are most likely to end up on a 40 year HST^▸ (High Speed Train) for the next year or so. Okay if you are travelling First class which is great on a HST.

All in all a waste of money on an advert that does not show the reality right now. But if that's what First want to spend their money on that's up to them.

[GBM]

So That's All Good Then !
Essentially what they are doing are finding out what they do well and doing less of it better 

That could have come straight out of the TV series W1A.  Brilliant (and I do so love that series, W1A that is!)