Thames Clippers - #lovemycommute campaign
the brief_
London river bus operator Thames Clippers engaged Siren Comms to help raise its profile, bring the pleasure of commuting by river bus to a wider audience, and position MBNA Thames Clippers as a key player in the London commuter landscape.
They also needed our help to increase engagement on the company's fledging social media channels, while delivering against the long-term goal of showing that river buses are not just for leisure trips, but an easy and enjoyable option for many Londoners.
the approach_
To harness the power of positive engagement, our creative team targeted the feelgood factor in developing and implementing a social media campaign around the tag #lovemycommute.
We ran an inclusive competition on the brand's Instagram, Facebook and Twitter channels, through which we could highlight the positives of commuting by river bus: guaranteed seat, great views, fresh air, coffee in the morning, wine on the way home, and – since the entire network is above ground – great 3G/4G access.
#lovemycommute asked followers to post images of their favourite views from their commutes, opening the story up to anyone travelling to work, and not just those already commuting with Thames Clippers already.
To grow the community base, engage the audience and widen the appeal, we worked with two influential London Instagrammers – @mumhad1ofthose and @Levanterman – both of whom took over @thamesclippers for a day, posting and interacting on Thames Clippers’ feeds as well as on their own.
The prizewinner would become Thames Clippers’ first ‘Chief Commuting Officer’, given an annual pass and – more importantly – the opportunity to consult and brainstorm with Thames Clippers on how to improve commuting for Londoners on the river.
the result_
On Twitter, @thamesclippers received an impressive 638K impressions during the month Siren Comms ran the #lovemycommute competition – that’s a 43% increase on the previous month. Twitter profile visits increased by 2,200, and mentions leapt up by 53%. The Instagram influencer posts on their own feeds received an impressive combined total of 13.8K likes, with the takeover posts on the Thames Clippers Instagram feed gathering more than 1,000.