Whoosh_building credibility for new tech
the brief_
Whoosh appointed Siren at the end of 2020 to launch Whoosh’s Real-Time Journey Dashboard (RTJD) as the company transitioned away from onboard entertainment and advertising towards this innovative platform. This technology gives real-time journey updates and information set to improve the travelling experience via a bespoke QR code.
With this pivot, Siren was tasked with acting as an extension of Whoosh’s small but knowledgeable team to build credibility for the business and it new technology offering as the team reached out to several major rail operators to implement the new solution.
the approach_
Whoosh’s target audience is decision-makers at transport operators and therefore the strategy for this client was not about Siren driving mass awareness, but generating trust and credibility within the travel and tech world.
The Whoosh team each have extensive experience and knowledge in the industry and therefore it was vital that Siren helped to showcase this to the media, current clients and prospects by pitching Edmund Caldecott, Whoosh CEO, up for comment on various industry-relevant news. We also successfully crafted and placed topical thought-leadership pieces in key media read by Whoosh’s target audience. This enabled the business to demonstrate a clear sense of ownership and expertise within the field of customer-facing rail technology. Announcements to media for key business news were also important here, such as Whoosh winning Department of Transport funding via the First of a Kind 2021 competition delivered by Innovate UK in order to demonstrate the endorsed potential of the RTJD.
Siren also recommended entry in selected awards within the rail and tech sector in order to build credibility and increase awareness among decision-makers. This included the Rail Business Awards, Travolution Awards and the Onboard Hospitality awards. Siren drafted the applications, demonstrating the urgent need for such a technology and the future success of the RTJD in bringing passengers back to rail for environmental and economic reasons. Excitingly, this resulted in two wins at the Travolution Awards; Best Customer Experience and Best Digital Innovation.
No matter how niche your audience, in the digital age it is essential to have an established presence on social media. Siren was set the job to launch Whoosh’s Linkedin and Twitter. We used these to continue to leverage the brand’s reputation, frequently sharing relevant insights and opinions on topics such as travel, sustainability and technology.
the result_
Throughout Whoosh’s launch year of the RTJD, Siren was successful in growing the brand’s new offering from the unknown to an established technology which is vital to post-pandemic travel. As an agency, we successfully supported the platform’s launch with major operators including Grand Central and Network Rail.
Siren’s guidance of Whoosh’s social media consistently demonstrates a digital know-how with the tweets reaching more than 63,000 people within the rail, travel and tech industry and Linkedin has reached over 15,000. The feeds are now frequently visited and followed by key industry members who recognise Whoosh as an industry insider.
Siren’s launch of Whoosh’s press office focused on crafting stories about these partnerships and the benefits of the platform. This approach reached more than 920,000 people within the targeted areas and an equivalent advertising value upwards of £75,000. Furthermore, thanks to Siren’s impressive placements of strong and well-formed opinion pieces in key media, operating partners began to reach out to Whoosh. This illustrates Siren’s valuable and successful role in raising credibility and driving Whoosh’s sales cycle.