East Midlands Railway Appoints McCann to Take Brand Character on Bold New Adventure

East Midlands Railway has appointed McCann Birmingham to take its brand character Miles on a new adventure. The appointment follows a competitive pitch with McCann demonstrating creative excellence and strategic insights. 

McCann Birmingham has been on the rail operator’s roster since 2022, having previously launched the Luton Airport Express sub-brand. Following a review of East Midland Railway’s creative roster earlier this year, McCann was named one of five creative agencies on the EMR framework. 

The campaign, which will target leisure travellers and commuters, is due to launch later this year, and will run across TV and Radio, OOH and through every channel online. 

Jenna Cowie, head of revenue and marketing at EMR said, “We’re delighted to be working with McCann Birmingham following our most recent competitive pitch for the 2024 East Midlands Railway campaign. Having launched our brand character four years ago, we are keen to continue taking bold steps in developing the chapter and story to keep our creative memorable and exciting. The McCann team secured the second award on our creative framework with focused strategic insights, originality and creativity and I’m looking forward to taking Miles into a brave new world!” 

Lucy Hudson, managing director at McCann Birmingham said, “We’re excited to continue our longstanding relationship with East Midlands Railway and bring a fresh and bold approach to Miles and his adventures. Watch this space!” 

Adam Bodfish, executive creative director at McCann Birmingham added, “As soon as we saw the brief, we knew this was going to be a fun pitch with huge creative potential. The journey of bringing Miles to life was an absolute blast, and we’re thrilled to keep that energy rolling as we embark on creating a campaign that’s just as epic, dynamic, and memorable!”