Eurostar launches ‘live’ ad platform
Eurostar is launching a “live” advertising platform in a move to integrate social media and consumers’ conversations into its mainstream advertising.
The Eurostar Live platform will launch on 23 February with a campaign promoting the international train service’s connection from London to Amsterdam, via Brussels and is also expected to be part of the brand’s Olympic activation activity before and during the London 2012 Games.
Eurostar has developed the campaign to help customers travelling around Europe to share experiences and advice with each other, and make sure the brand is part of the conversation. It will use technology developed by the Cloud & Compass to integrate real time comments about the brand, its services and destinations, into its outdoor ad campaigns running on digital outdoor screens in London.
Eurostar claims to be the first advertiser to integrate real time social media with “large-scale” advertising and believes that there will be around 4,000 unique executions each day, incorporating comments and photos uploaded by customers to platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
Lionel Benbassat, director of marketing and brand at Eurostar, says that while comments will be moderated to avoid anything damaging or libellous being broadcast, positive and negative experiences will be included.
It hopes to extend the platform to France and Belgium when the technology to do so becomes available.
Benbassat says: “We’re trying to integrate conversational aspects the brand has with its audience and bring it to life so people can share it. The whole point is for people to share what they really experience when they are there, whether they like it or don’t like it. We want to be an enabler so that people can get the best out of their trip. The fact is that we as marketers don’t own the brand, we share it with consumers – it’s living and we can both shape it.”
Benbassat adds that Eurostar Live is the next phase of the brand’s strategy to use social media to build customer loyalty. It launched EuropebyEurostar.com – a social platform for travellers to share tips on its destinations in 2010 and has previously included customer reviews in press ads as part of its “Little Trip, Big Difference” campaign.
Arena Media, Posterscope and We Are Social also involved with planning and executing the campaign.
