Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink train services, has launched an integrated campaign encouraging commuters and pleasure-seekers alike to return to train travel. Whether it be for work, to see friends and family or to explore new places without the hassle of driving, the campaign is designed to celebrate freedom of travel and all the things you can now do without restriction.

Created by TMW UNLIMITED, ‘It’s Go Time’ encourages people to venture out of their local areas and make up for that lost time during the pandemic.
The campaign advocates a return to normality, helping customers feel safe in the process, while promoting some of the good experiences you have when you do go into the office or meet colleagues and encouraging pleasure-seekers to make visits and do activities in real life, just because they can.
‘It’s Go Time’ is designed to celebrate the freedom of movement that comes with travel and highlights the benefits of face-to-face interaction in both professional and personal situations.

The campaign is based on research by Ipsos MORI showing that to ‘reconnect with people’ and to ‘take spontaneous day trips’ were the things people were most excited about after the pandemic was over. 83% of Britons saying they were most excited to meet friends and family outside the household after restrictions were lifted and 31% were keen for their commute and to get back to work.
Emma Wiles, Head of Marketing, Govia Thameslink Railway said: “Train travel was restricted during the pandemic, numbers have been low and working habits are changing. This campaign is about starting to do those things you missed, the spur of the moment, don’t need to plan stuff. We want people to use the train in the way that they want to in the future, with flexibility, meet when they want to meet and go with the flow! We hope this campaign helps people create some of those moments and gives some ideas as to where to start!”

Graeme Noble, Chief Creative Officer, TMW UNLIMITED said: “The pandemic caused so much disruption to our lives, and still has a grasp on our behaviours, so we created a campaign that felt like a call to arms – an imperative to get out there and explore again – to have fun with friends and loved ones and get into work and see colleagues again. ‘It’s Go Time’ reminds us of the almost limitless number of places we can explore via our train networks – because now we can. Our fast-paced radio ads set the scene, and the same pacey, light-hearted style is rolled out in everything from OOH to Social.’’