Thameslink appoints Heresy for £1.5m ‘disruption’ task

Thameslink, the cross-London train service linking Luton and Gatwick airports, has appointed Heresy to handle a &£1.5m public information campaign.

Thameslink faces months of disruption next year while a new station is built at St Pancras for Eurostar. While the work is going on, Thameslink passengers will not be able to travel directly through London, as the service will terminate at St Pancras. They will have to use London Underground or other routes to rejoin the service.

Heresy has been appointed to tell the public of the problems and alternative travel routes across the capital. Thameslink commercial manager Peter Robinson made the appointment and the Haystack Group oversaw the review.

The campaign will include advertising, direct marketing, e-mail and SMS text elements. All will use the banner “Thameslink All Change”. The campaign begins this year, though the bulk of the activity will be in 2004.

Thameslink retains Maidenhead-based Guerilla as its agency of record, and Oasis for new media.

Thameslink has just launched a website, flybytrain.co.uk, which enables passengers to book tickets online. The train operator is owned by Govia and French transport group Keovis.

Heresy is part of Chime Communications and merged with digital marketing arm Digital Experiences last August. Clients include MVC Entertainment and Birds Eye Wall’s. It recently lost the &£4m Telewest Business account to Draft Worldwide.