South Western Railway's 'Bird-Fluencers' Showcase How Every Trip on the Train Is a Treat

South Western Railway (SWR) is bringing back its ‘bird fluencers’ Wesley Peck the pigeon and Sandy C. Gull for its latest campaign, which focuses on exciting rewards for travellers.

The playful campaign, created with St Luke’s, produced by Nexus Studios and directed by Conor Finnegan, showcases the breadth of rewards available from the train operator, with more than 100 available, from theatre trips to discounted meals to nights out, hotel stays and more. These free-to-access rewards are unlocked with every purchase of a train ticket, with the work showcasing how every trip on the train is a treat, whether you are travelling for business or for leisure.

The work breaks on 16 July and runs across TV, video and online. A 30” spot features Wes and Sandy taking a train back from London, having enjoyed a rewards-filled evening from SWR. Sandy has used SWR Rewards to go to the theatre with her ‘gull-friend’, and recalls a scene where a canary is belting out a song on stage, while Wes enjoyed a meal with money off the ‘bill’ after dinner with friends.

The work will also feature digital, OOH and Influencer activity. A series of online social videos are supporting the campaign while a bespoke asset has also been created, enabling a range of different messaging to be shown on train windows, aimed at targeting different audiences with relevant rewards. The campaign runs until September.

Ian Humphreys, senior marketing manager at South Western Railway said, “The campaign is loved by colleagues, and we get great comments back from customers about Sandy and Wes. We know from brand tracking and econometrics that the campaign is performing above target so let’s hope the Sandy and Wes story has a few more chapters to go.”

Richard Denney, joint CCO at St Luke’s said, “Our lovable ‘bird fluencers’, Wes and Sandy continue to go from strength to strength for SWR, so it’s great to see them promoting SWR’s Rewards with a night out on the town which is guaranteed to be a hoot.”