Eurostar uses social media to optimise outdoor ad campaign

Eurostar is using YouTube performance data to optimise its latest outdoor campaign promoting its new fleet of e320 Eurostar trains. The creative message can be altered based on what performs well on the video network, with Eurostar looking to target four specific audience segments. Working with Posterscope, Eurostar plans to run the activity for four days before looking at the YouTube data, it will then decide whether certain creatives resonate better at specific times before tweaking the rest of the campaign. It also aims to use Facebook in its campaign, to target users based on their interests, location and other demographics. 

Eurostar is one of the first brands to make use of new tech that allows marketers to change their outdoor campaigns based on real-time feedback on what has been successful on YouTube.

The campaign aims to promote its new fleet of e320 Eurostar trains to a new audience. But rather than looking just at the company’s normal ABC1 demographic in London and the South East, and first time travellers, Daniela Glynn-Jones, global brand and communications manager at Eurostar, said the company looked to target across four different audiences; families, youth and two types of business agents – commuter and office based.

Creative was then created and targeted based on these segments. However in a new move, the brand will use YouTube performance data to optimise its outdoor campaign, altering the creative and message depending on what performs well on the video network.

“This is the first time I’m aware of that we’re targeting on such a panel by panel basis.” Daniela Glynn-Jones, global brand and communications manager, Eurostar

Working with agency Posterscope, Eurostar will alter its outdoor plan by analysing the data and applying specific creative to individual panels or networks at certain times of day. It will initially run the activity for four days before looking at the YouTube data and seeing whether there is a particular creative that resonates with the trainline’s audience at a particular time of day. This will then be optimised and applied to the outdoor plan for the latter part of the campaign.

“This is the first time I’m aware that we’re targeting on such a panel by panel basis. I don’t think it has been done to this granularity before,” Glynn-Jones said.

The outdoor and YouTube link-up is part of a wider strategy at Eurostar to “create a real connection with customers”. Glynn-Jones said YouTube was an obvious place to advertise because so many people go to the site looking for travel inspiration.

Other channels are also being used to push the campaign, including Facebook, where Eurostar will target consumers based on their interests and their specific demographic, as well as their location.

“Our aim when we designed our new trains was to have our customers at the heart of everything we did. We wanted to practice what we preached, so we created a campaign that spoke to individual audiences and personalised the creative around those specific needs,” said Glynn-Jones.

“It also enables us to really target based on what a customer has actually seen, so which ad has resonated the most with them. For example if it is onboard entertainment that they have watched the whole way through we can then retarget with personalised direct response messaging, and convert them further along the line.

“We hope to obtain an awareness of our new trains, the benefits of travelling with Eurostar. There are many people even in London and the South East who have never travelled with Eurostar in the 21 years since we have been running. For years we have just spoken about destinations and where we can go. We haven’t really spoken about getting to the heart of the city as much,” Glynn-Jones added.