Nexus

Nexus provide, plan and promote public transport to improve the economic prosperity of North East England and the daily lives of its people. We work with them to promote the Tyne and Wear Metro system as well as the bus network and River Tyne ferry.

A campaign that really jumps off the page

As part of our ongoing support we worked with the team at Nexus to refresh their 'Kids go free' offer, where up to three children can travel for free with an adult on the Metro and Ferry. As the creative had existed for a long time there was a need to give it a new lease of life. It was decided to achieve this by developing a style that blended reality with animation in the form of a child's stories of their adventures on the train. Rather than focus on real people and trains, we would illustrate the main character 'Me' and her mother and friends and have them interact with real places that can be visited using the system.

An in-house extravaganza

We created the entire campaign in-house, from concepts, to storyboards, capturing the real life footage and animating the characters over the top. This allowed us to create a multitude of different media and content as and when needed. Characters were brought to life from the initial work of an illustrator and composited over footage collected by the team in various locations across Tyne & Wear. It was both a challenging and rewarding process for all concerned!

Reaching the audience

The creative was applied to a wide range of media including TV, cinema, social media, on system poster sites as well as ambient applications like a small 'play train' in a temporary city centre location.

The results

97.76%

Digital TV advertising achieved nearly 3,000 impressions with a completion rate of 97.76%.

249,000

Cinema advertising delivered 249,000 impressions.

127,050

Our full page advert on the inside cover of Primary Times magazine was distributed to 127,050 children in Tyne and Wear.

2.3million

Digital out of home screens achieved 2.12 million impressions and social activity delivered over 2.3 million impressions and 3,000 clicks – with a CTR of 0.63%.

22% up

Nexus estimate that 128,000 Kids Go Free Metro journeys took place over the summer of 2024, which is up 22% on 2022/23 and 11% on 2023/24.

2.1million

The campaign was so effective for Nexus, that the offer was extended to buses too. The bus campaign delivered over 2.1 million impressions and generated 14,000 clicks.

A ferry charming campaign

Nexus wanted to increase patronage and revenue on the Shields Ferry over the summer months. The ferry can be used simply as a means of reaching a destination or event on the opposite side of the Tyne, but is actually a travel experience in its own right and garners a large amount of nostalgia with the North East public. We used this nostalgia as inspiration for the 'railway destination' inspired illustrations and kept the messaging straight to the point.

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