Eurostar: video that turns love into likes

Playful content bolsters brand campaign on social

Come Valentine’s Day, how do you engage two very different audiences in two languages with a single, low-cost approach? By developing ‘cross-Channel’ content with a hard-working but humorous video at its heart.

Driving connections

It’s a tough ask: delivering on the brand promise of ‘Inspiring real connections’ between two core markets when, politically, they’re pulling apart. But that’s the challenge we faced in our first Valentine’s brief from Eurostar after Brexit.  
 
In order to encourage travel between London and Paris and help customers feel love for the brand, we had to find an approach that would not only engage potential travellers but help the two nations rekindle their affection for each other.

Sidestepping the schmaltz

With a target audience of 20- to 30-year-old urbanites – sophisticated, discerning and somewhat cynical – we knew our content couldn’t be cheesy or clichéd. Rather than tugging on customers’ heartstrings, we wanted something that would raise a smile rather than feel saccharine, as well as reflect Eurostar’s brand values.

We struck upon a solution that offered a warm, humorous take on romance – and one that would resonate with French and British audiences alike.  

A new take on speed dating

The idea was to film a series of cross-cultural first dates on what became known as The Love Train, playing up the irreverent moments that inevitably happen when potential suitors are faced with cultural and linguistic differences.  
 
The result? A 90-second film with some awkward but funny moments – entertaining enough to appeal to all travellers, single or otherwise.

Fuelling the customer journey

Although the primary distribution channel was social, Cedar’s 360° commissioning model allowed us to create a suite of assets to amplify the content, extending the customer (and The Love Train) journey across all of Eurostar’s owned media channels. This small but mighty video resulted in many potential Eurostar travellers sharing the love on social, too. 

Watch the video