How we helped the nation’s 60-somethings expand their world, one bus journey at a time. National integrated campaign for First Bus.
How we helped the nation’s 60-somethings expand their world, one bus journey at a time.
National integrated campaign for First Bus, by MadeBrave.
Use of senior concessions cards still hasn’t recovered to its pre-pandemic levels.
First Bus, one of the UK’s largest bus operators, needed to boost their revenue from senior passengers. So, we were tasked with creating a campaign to put that right.
We needed to create a campaign flexible enough to boost senior concession travel across the UK, even though the eligibility age varies across different countries.
As you age, your world shrinks.
Our team started by digging into government and industry data which revealed a surprising truth. Most 60-somethings already had concessions cards – they just weren’t using them. So, rather than drive people to sign up, our message could be simpler: pull the one you have out of your knick-knack drawer.
We commissioned specialist research which asked communities of 60-somethings why they weren’t travelling. What the audience told us transformed the brief: you inadvertently tend to go fewer places, with fewer people, than you used to. However, the bus is the ideal vehicle for broadening that world out once again.
So what if you’re in your 60s? If you’ve still got a thirst for adventure and want to wring the most joy out of each day, then your bus pass can be so much more than just an unloved perk in a drawer. Forget 40. Or 50…
A soul music night, an afternoon life drawing class, and a paddle boarding taster session.
The campaign focused on three stories that epitomised 60-somethings grabbing life by the horns. Ones which balanced joy, fun and adventure with the practicality of physical age and bus travel. Not geriatric and clichéd, nor patronising and inaccessible.
Following the strategy, we wanted to show more than just the bus journey – we wanted to show how it also connects you with others. So, each story featured a friend and companion sharing the joy.
These stories were then activated through ATL channels including BVOD, national radio, and targeted social content. This was then supported by an integrated PR drive (in partnership with Stripe), where 1980s TV star Anneka Rice toured the campaign with a UK-wide roadshow.
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