6 February 2020

Eurostar launches 'You see more when you don't fly' TV campaign

Eurostar, the high-speed passenger rail service linking the UK and mainland Europe, today launches the next phase of its ‘You see more when you don’t fly’ campaign, designed to showcase that the best breaks start and end with a Eurostar journey straight to the heart of European cities by train.

The latest instalment of the campaign sees the return of the ostrich, a character which rejects flying in favour of a better way to travel. The campaign aims to demonstrate the benefits of travel by high-speed rail whilst encouraging travellers to choose Eurostar destinations.

Two 30-second spots show the ostrich making the most of the time gained by taking Eurostar as it ambles through a beautiful Parisian market in the UK market version. For French, Belgium and Dutch audiences, the advert is set in a punk exhibition at a London gallery, bringing to life the excitement of the city. The ostrich explores destinations all while looking that little bit closer and lingering longer thanks to time saved by arriving in the city centre.

Created by ENGINE, the character was first launched at the end of 2019 in print, outdoor and digital formats but this time brought to life for TV, cinema and online audiences by Patrick Daughters at Gorgeous and the team at MPC. The campaign will be supported with social media edits, digital display, CRM and on Eurostar.com.

Richard Sherwood, Customer Engagement Director at Eurostar said: “The latest phase of our campaign reinforces the benefits of travelling by Eurostar – taking customers to the city centre and allowing them to see more on the journey and see more when they arrive. The new TVC’s have a bold and refreshing feel which reflects a return to our challenger brand routes as we remind audiences that high-speed rail is a fast and relaxing to travel.”

Leon Jaume, Executive Creative Director at ENGINE, said: “The determined non-flyer has two heroes: Eurostar and the ostrich. They are brought together in the new Eurostar TV campaign to demonstrate the joy of arriving in the centre of a European capital with your serenity intact, eager to get the most out of the weekend. The ostrich was hatched by Richard Nott and David Dearlove at Engine and nurtured into maturity by Patrick Daughters' direction and MPC's sorcery.”

Alex Snookes, VFX Supervisor at MPC said: “Working on this project required a lot of meticulous planning and MPC’s involvement right from the very start. MPC worked closely with Patrick Daughters, David Dearlove and Richard Nott to offer our creative input, making sure the VFX was applied in the best possible way. The biggest challenge was bringing Patrick’s vision of the ostrich to life and giving it a fun and engaging character. Overall, it was a great collaborative process and a fun campaign to have been part of.”

The campaign will run nationally across TV and Cinema in the UK and France throughout February and will launch later in the year across Belgium. In the UK, the advert will be shown across ITV, Channel 4 and Sky on broadcast channels and On Demand.
 
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Notes to editors:
For more information, please contact: press.office@eurostar.com
 
FULL CREDITS:
 
Client: Eurostar
Agency: ENGINE
Creative Director: Leon Jaume
Art Director & Copywriter: Richard Nott and David Dearlove
Agency Producer: Bradley Woodus, Georgina Moxey
Account Handling: Daisy Domenghini, Rosa Stanley Jack Verlander, Olivia Conroy, Matt Edwards, Julian Hough
Planning: John Crowther and Katherine Morris
Media Agency: Wavemaker
Eurostar Marketing: Richard Sherwood, Gabriella Neudecker, Eefje Mol, Anne-Lorene Luccioni Ganet
Production Company: Gorgeous
Director: Patrick Daughters
Executive Producer: Rupert Smythe
Producer: Ben Roberts
Edit House: Speade
Editors: Richard Woolway, Sam Sneade
Producer: Kirsty Oldfield
Post Production: MPC
2D VFX Supervisor: Alex Snookes
CG Creature Supervisor: Fabian Frank
Colourist: Jean-Clement Soret
CG Lighters: Sebastian Mayer (CG Lead), Giovanni Bianchet, Stephane Ranaldi
Animation: Chris Welsby (Animation Lead), Florian Mounie
FX: Tushar Kewlani, Rob Richardson
Modelling: Silvia Bartoli
Rigging: Maximilian Mallmann
Groom: Prashanth Paramasivam
Texturing: Ria Banerjee
2d Team (Comp): Alex Snookes, Vivek Female, Geetesh Tari, Emma Tyler, Johan Alfort, Mauro Nodari
Match-move: Suhan N, Avaneetharan Karuppasam
Roto: Jagadeesan V
VFX Producer: Mireille Antoine
VFX Line Producers: Solomon Tiigah, Abhinav Sharda
 
ABOUT EUROSTAR

  • Eurostar is the high-speed train service linking St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International, Ashford International, Paris, Brussels, Lille, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris, Lyon, Avignon, Marseille, the French Alps, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
  • From its early days of operation Eurostar has championed the environmental benefits of high-speed rail and the switch to sustainable modes of transport for short haul travel. A Eurostar journey from London to Paris up to emits 90% less carbon than the equivalent short haul flight making it a clear choice for the future of travel in Europe.
  • From 1st January 2020, Eurostar has pledged to plant a tree for every train service that it operates across its routes. Working in partnership with the Woodland Trust, ReforestAction and Trees for All, 20,000 additional trees will be planted every year in woodlands across Eurostar’s markets of the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
  • Customers travelling by Eurostar can enjoy a range of benefits including:
    • Seamless city centre to city centre travel, with stations located in the heart of our destinations
    • Comfort and space on board to work or unwind with wifi connectivity and on board entertainment
    • Fast and convenient check-in - passengers are asked to arrive only 30 minutes before departure
    • Generous, free-of-charge baggage allowance with each passenger allowed 2 bags/suitcases and 1 piece of hand luggage
    • No queues or baggage reclaim upon arrival - simply take your bag with you on board

ABOUT ENGINE
ENGINE is a future company. A full stack consultancy, technology, insight, data, brand and experience design, advertising and communications company, with the power of diversity and imagination to take on the future. The world is changing. Problems don’t look like they used to. These days, disruption is the new normal and connectivity means complexity. That’s where we come in. We curate small, diverse teams who help our clients figure out where to go next. Find out more enginegroup.com | @ENGINE_UK