Buxton Water aims to build awareness as it becomes the first brand to take over a London tube station

Buxton Water will become the first brand to take over a tube station this Sunday when Canada Water station will be renamed after the water maker for the day in an effort to drive awareness of the brand and promote its role as official water provider of the Virgin Money London Marathon.

The station’s signs will be replaced by “Buxton Water” on Sunday (26 April) to mark the 35th year of the Virgin Money London Marathon, of which the Nestlé Waters-owned brand has been the official water sponsor for the past two years.

Branded artwork featuring the hash tag #withyoualltheway will also be displayed throughout the station, where the brand will also supply water to passengers.

Hugo Moura, brand manager for Buxton Water at Nestlé Waters UK, told Marketing Week that the partnership is an opportunity to tap into the on-the-go drinking water market.

“We’ve traditionally positioned Buxton as a British brand, but last year we added an extra layer to focus on promoting vitality and aim to show consumers the benefits of drinking water,” he says, a strategy that ties into its drive to reach commuters.

Nestlé credited strong growth of Buxton in the UK for helping its Nestlé Waters division to deliver 7.3% organic growth in its first three months of 2015.

However, brand tracking data from YouGov BrandIndex shows that while Buxton ranks seventh on its index rankings – which are based on metrics such as impression, quality, value, buzz and awareness – ahead of the likes of Volvic, it falls behind competitors Highland Spring and Evian.

Moura adds that the brand will “help runners pay tribute to the people behind the scenes and the marathon supporters” through the London Marathon partnership by sponsoring the “Run With A Loved One” lane, the first time ever that marathon runners will be able to run alongside family and friends.

“The marathon is a big journey for the runners, and can sometimes be lonely if they don’t have supporters or people behind the scenes cheering them on,” he says, adding that Twitter will be the main platform for the brand to engage with consumers throughout the campaign.

While the takeover will be the first time Transport for London (TfL) has formed a commercial partnership to rename a tube station, it could be the first of many as the company has set a goal to generate £3.45bn in non-fare revenue over the next decade.

In February it announced a £43.75m seven-year partnership with Santander to refresh London’s Cycle Hire scheme through Santander Cycles, while it made notonthehighstreet.com the first ever sponsor of its “Baby on Board” badges for pregnant commuters in January.

To further drive non-fare revenue, it has also started to work with supermarkets such as Asda and Waitrose to offer click and collect services at selected tube stations.

Speaking about the Buxton partnership, Graeme Craig, director of commercial development at TfL, said: “This is a significant deal and the revenue will be reinvested back into our network for the benefit of our customers.”

Recommended