LNER Rail Mascot Eleanor Dances Down the Carriage in Joyful Spot

LNER, the rail company that operates on the East Coast Mainline, has unveiled a major new multichannel brand campaign featuring its first ever brand character, Eleanor. Called 'Freedom all the way', it was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi, with online creative by Merkle and media planning and buying by Manning Gottlieb OMD.

The new campaign follows four years of successful partnership between LNER and M&C Saatchi, during which time all brand metrics have increased significantly. Building on this success, the new push aims to inspire even more people to travel with LNER, more often, with an idea that translates across paid and owned channels.

In recent years, LNER has invested in further enhancing its customer experience. The new campaign seeks to showcase this and the benefits of travelling with LNER, targeting leisure and business travellers along the East Coast route between London and the Scottish Highlands.

The creative idea was inspired by Fatboy Slim’s track 'Weapon of Choice' and its iconic video starring Christopher Walken. The track was selected as the perfect vehicle to describe all of the things you can do on a LNER train, evoking the freedom offered by the journey.

At the centre of the campaign is new brand character, Eleanor, a puppet that captures the joy customers experience when travelling with LNER. 

In a 60-second film, we see Eleanor enthusiastically making her way through the carriage, in awe of what’s possible on an LNER train, whether that’s watching a film, catching up with friends, getting stuff done, or just relaxing. At the end, she takes her seat and receives a warm welcome from a member of LNER’s onboard crew.

Across other channels, Eleanor playfully engages with customers on their journeys, highlighting the benefits of travelling by train versus other modes of transport.

The push showcases a new bespoke headline font as well as an updated look and feel for the brand, featuring the iconic LNER route line.

The campaign is running across TV, video-on-demand, out-of-home, digital audio, social and digital channels, as well as on the LNER network.

John Galloway, head of marketing, LNER, said, “We’re proud to unveil our new campaign, which reflects our new and improved customer experience and showcases a more modern brand and visual identity.

“Eleanor encapsulates the freedom of doing whatever it is you want to do when travelling on an LNER train – whether that’s catching up on work, spending time with friends or enjoying some downtime.” 

Matt Lee, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi, added, “How do you demonstrate the freedom you experience onboard an LNER train? By having a puppet called Eleanor dance through the aisles to Fatboy Slim’s 'Weapon of Choice', obviously.

“We’re delighted to launch this new campaign, featuring a show-stopping performance from Eleanor, who simply points out all the things you can do on an LNER train. A bit of lunch? A good book? A movie? Daydreaming? Time to yourself? Who wouldn’t go for that?”