How we stopped the scroll and inspired young people to get back on the bus
Young people get buses, right? Well, not so much anymore.
Since the pandemic, use of bus travel by under-23-year-olds has never recovered. And it was already declining before then. Even generous Government schemes across the country offering discounts or free travel aren’t as well used as hoped.
And this really matters—for young people and for society. Mobility through affordable, universal public transport for young people fuels educational attainment, job and career progression, as well as wider economic benefits for us all.
First Bus, one of the UK’s leading public transport providers, challenged us to start reversing this trend through a UK-wide campaign.
Insight & Strategy
This campaign needed to boost awareness and uptake of discount and free travel schemes, while being flexible enough to account for how they vary across the nation. It had to be more than a one-and-done—First Bus needed a lasting platform it could use for years to come.
We started from a place of conscious ignorance. None of us on the team were under 23, and this is a very new and distinct generation: entirely native to the mobile-first digital world of the 2010s, heavily impacted by the pandemic, and spanning all kinds of cultures, classes, and contexts.
So we commissioned new research with our partners at Savanta to give us fresh insight into how the young of 2025 tick and, crucially, how they think about bus travel.
We learned that price wasn’t the barrier many assumed, but a lack of knowledge about where buses go was. We also discovered they were much more willing to try the bus for social trips with friends. And that mobile short-form video utterly dominated their world.
This led to a strategy framed around:
– Using social trips with friends as the gateway into regular bus routines
– Designing the campaign for short-form video, with the aim of distracting them in seconds
– Landing on First Bus’s app as the answer, since its features address many of the barriers they fear
Unstoppable idea
We needed a simple idea which not only called for that social trip with friends, but also spoke in their own voice – not ours. A way an under-23 would invite their mates to head out. To drop stuff. To just go and do… whatever… together.
LFG was born.
For the young, it stands for “Let’s freaking go.” An association that will drive engagement, stop the scroll and make both buses and the brand feel more relevant and alive.
LFG is Gen Z’s verbal high-five and call to action to head out, meet friends and do something different. It’s all about braggable, shareable, can’t-wait-to-tell-people-about-it moments you get from getting out on the bus. From the adrenaline of a gig to discovering the perfect shades in a vintage shop.
In partnership with System1, we then tested this concept to ensure its appropriateness, impact and emotional connection – and got a royal thumbs up all round.
Creative solution
To bring LFG to life, we focused on six scenarios and stories of attention-grabbing, scroll-stopping, social-first shorts that show how discount buses get you wherever you want to be. All showing real young people, across cultures and communities.
A young audience meant a mobile and video-first channel plan, with YouTube, TikTok, Snap, and Insta dominating. We also brought the campaign to the huge gaming platform Roblox, with a gamified LFG ad too. But being where they are meant there was still a strong role for outdoor.
This was supported by a micro and regional influencer strategy from the team at StripePR, as well as regionally targeted ads – ensuring young people only saw the correct discount incentive for their country or local area.
We’re delighted with the campaign from MadeBrave – not just for the strength of the thinking that backs it up, but also for the creative bravery to speak in their language, on their terms. It’s about supporting them to get out into the world, enjoy life, and succeed.
Behind the scenes
