Govia Thameslink Railway Spots Show Every Stop Is a Story
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has launched a new integrated campaign under the brand umbrella, 'Every Stop is a Story', to encourage leisure travel on its network.
Directed by Simon Neal in collaboration with Scenester and TMW, part of Accenture Song, the commercials were shot over four days, across the UK in the midst of a June heatwave. Both spots are a blend of traditional storytelling, beautiful cinematography and cutting-edge virtual production technology.
The campaign is focused on two GTR brands: Southern Railway and Thameslink. Whilst each brand’s assets have been constructed with a different visual identity for different audiences, the message remains the same: train travel enables opportunities for unique experiences.
Southern Railway’s family-focused execution, 'The day we saw a flying whale' captures the magic of a spontaneous day out for a single dad and his two children. What begins as their standard train journey takes a surreal turn when the daughter spots a whale flying through the trees. A knowing smile from dad, and curiosity from the kids, sees them hop off at the next stop and rush to see a collection of enormous aquatic kites being flown at a beachside kite festival.
The accompanying spot for Thameslink, 'Plenty more fish', features the story of a twenty-something man’s daytrip with his mates, who are trying to lift his spirits with following a breakup. The next thing you know, an unexpected and comically soggy paddleboarding fail leads to a fateful meeting!
Simon Neal, director said, “I knew from the moment I got the brief from the team at TMW that this was going to be a special project, with the potential to craft something truly brilliant. I’m thrilled with how the final films have turned out and I can’t wait to see them out in the world!”
Tim Marshall, executive producer at Scenester said, “It was an absolute pleasure for us to work alongside the team at TMW on this lovely creative. We couldn’t have asked for more collaborative and constructive working relationship and I think that is reflected in how wonderfully the final films have turned out. I’d like to give a massive shout out to all of the many crew, cast and collaborators who helped bring these spots to life, truly a magnificent team effort!”
Graeme Noble, chief creative officer at TMW said, “Every Stop is a Story shows the power of integrated storytelling at its best, blending emotional insight with humour across formats to bring GTR’s leisure travel vision to life. It’s been a joy building on our shared success with a client who understands the value of big, human ideas told in rich, audience-first ways.”
