Pulling in the Right Direction

Client: Avanti West Coast

When Avanti instructed us to support their drive for hiring more female train drivers, there were more than a few leaves on the track.

A troublesome mix of ongoing industrial action and negative sentiment towards the industry from the media as well as the public created a hostile environment in which TOCs could not campaign without being derailed by consumer backlash.

All that changed with our 'Pulling in the Right Direction' campaign. The media results were stunning, the resulting surge in applications crashed the Avanti website and perhaps most spectacularly of all, the campaign united a train company, a union and a government department in unequivocal support. Few PR unite like this and even fewer PR ideas can claim to live forever, but with Karen Harrison’s mural now granted a permanent residency at Euston Station - this is a campaign with undeniable legacy.