Kathy Young

Said the following about Northern Marketing and Communications Teams:

“To help the recovery of the rail industry after the pandemic and encourage people to return to rail travel, the challenge of the Northern marketing and communications teams was to help reposition Northern as the rail service for the people of the North.

Through customer research and concept testing, the teams understood that their audiences need for human connection, joy and reliability was more heightened in the wake of the pandemic than it had ever been before.

By acknowledging this and positioning customers at the heart, the new ‘Go Do Your Thing’ brand platform was created and launched through an integrated Summer campaign– spanning a range of channels TV and Video On Demand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXxV6ZFOEFE, Out of home advertising, digital display, social, owned channels, user generated content activity and internal communications – allowing Northern to transition from being seen as a utility, to a brand Northerners can really connect with. One that understands how they fit in to people’s lives, and the positive impact they can have.

This has created the foundation for long-term improvements in brand perception and revenue growth; with the campaign increasing brand sentiment to +1.3 (from -10) and delivering a 5:1 ROI. Furthermore, Go Do Your Thing has been a strapline rolled out across all our communication channels including our colleagues as part of a range of internal communications to embed our new values and encourage colleagues to go do their thing for our customers. It has been used across social media, media stories (used across 10 news stories and appearing in over 200 pieces if coverage in last 12 months) and customer information campaigns appealing to the full range of audiences.“