Screen Time Doesn't Stand a Chance in Metrolinx's Kids Go Free Campaign

Last year, Metrolinx appointed Ogilvy Canada as creative AOR for GO Transit and UP Express. GO Transit is the regional public transit service for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

For this campaign, Metrolinx tasked Ogilvy with raising awareness of GO Transit’s Kids Ride Free program.

Kids are naturally restless little beings. But there’s one thing that can stop them in their tracks: screens. As a society, however, we have mixed feelings about kids spending too much time on their tablets.

Luckily there are some things kids are perennially fascinated by, like trains.

Ogilvy positioned GO Transit as a different kind of screen time - a place where kids can sit and stare, not at a tablet, but out the train window screen. The new campaign shows how the wonder and magic of the train becomes the ultimate source of fascination, captivating kids’ imaginations.

Morgan Starr, associate creative director, Ogilvy Canada said, “As parents, it’s easy to default t o the car and hand our kids a screen. But this autopilot often deprives them of the true wonder and magic the real world has to offer. When we take ht etrain with our kids, it’s not just t hem who get to be captivated by the journey - through their eyes, we get to rediscover that magic, too.”

The campaign comes to life through :15 and :30 films designed for social media and cinema, supported by vibrant OOH/TSA messaging and targeted digital placements. Together, the campaign highlights just how truly engaging train travel can be for kids and families alike.