Arriva Has a Bus for Every Journey

SNAP LDN was appointed late last year to launch a new integrated brand campaign to drive behaviour change. The campaign aims to both drive modal shift and improve perceptions of buses and the service they provide. 

Bus transport has long been underappreciated despite its crucial role in serving countless people. Rather than being valued for the essential service they provide, buses are often seen merely as a commodity. However, buses are an intrinsic part of society at local, regional, and national levels.

The 'There’s a Bus for That...' campaign aims to change this perception. It is a unifying initiative that addresses different audiences and their specific transportation needs. The campaign seeks to instil a sense of pride in buses by highlighting their emotional and practical benefits, acknowledging the various roles buses play in people's lives.

The multi-channel campaign kicks off with a 60-second TV commercial titled 'Meeting a friend... There’s a bus for that.' It tells the story of two young people meeting for their first date.

The films were directed by Zak Razvi through Girl&Bear Studios.

Carat managed the media planning and buying for the campaign, which will target regional audiences through BVOD, cinema, OOH, press, display, social media, and owned bus media.

Cora Woodhouse, marketing and customer service director at Arriva UK Bus, said, “Here at Arriva Bus we have our sights set on sustainable growth - getting more customers on our buses and turning them into regular passengers. We’ve looked at the market to see who travels by bus and who could potentially become a customer and our research shows that to drive behavioural change and increase bus usage, we have to put bus front of mind. To do this we need to connect with the audience on an emotional level, recognising that our customers do not care about who is providing the bus service, they care about the connection the bus service facilitates; connecting communities to the places they need or the people they love.

“In 2023, we commenced a creative agency pitch, sharing our insights and behavioural change strategy. Following an outstanding response from SNAP we commenced working with the team and recently launched a pilot campaign ‘There’s a Bus for That’.  We are all really proud of the campaign. Additionally, it has been a fantastic experience for me and my team working on this first project with the team at SNAP and we look forward to seeing the results to further optimise and roll out our new marketing communications brand – There’s a Bus for That!.”

Jon Boardman, CEO of SNAP LDN, added, “This campaign has been a long time coming, but we made it, and we couldn’t be prouder of the result. It’s been an absolute pleasure for everyone involved in this ground breaking initiative. We’ve created work that you’d never expect from a bus company, and we hope people will both enjoy the stories and recognise the diverse roles buses play in society.”