Greater Anglia Lights Up the Festive Season with a Humorous Twist in New Campaign

Train operator Greater Anglia has unveiled its 2024 festive campaign, ‘Christmas lights’, which also introduces its new creative platform, ‘It’s Great Out There’. The Christmas campaign and platform, featuring the return of the iconic Greater Anglia Red Hare, were developed in partnership with Atomic London following its appointment as Greater Anglia’s integrated creative agency earlier this year.

The first work to launch since Greater Anglia selected Atomic London in May aims to boost sales of trips to London and across East Anglia this Christmas. It uses a two-pronged strategy: seeking to inspire a broad audience of existing train users to choose Greater Anglia for their festive travel, while also targeting families with children aged five to 16 through more focused activity.

The campaign sees the debut of an emotive new creative platform, ‘It’s Great Out There’, which positions Greater Anglia as the enabler that connects you to the people and places that bring you joy.

The festive push is based on the insight that for Greater Anglia customers, Christmas is as much about the build-up as it is the day itself. However, amidst all of the preparation, shopping trips and days out, it’s easy to lose sight of the important human connections that make the Christmas period truly meaningful, even if things don’t always go to plan. This inspired Atomic London to create a relatable and inspiring campaign that gives families and friends a great excuse to connect with Greater Anglia.

Inspired by Chevy Chase’s Christmas lights disaster in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, this 30-second film, directed by Ivan Bird of Missing Link Films, features a family's humorous plight with Christmas lights that fail to illuminate and mistakenly spell ‘fart’ in a greeting to Father Christmas. Guided by the Greater Anglia Red Hare, they hop on a train bound for London, seeking to experience ‘some proper Christmas lights.’ Their adventurous journey culminates in a magical scene on London’s South Bank, beautifully capturing the spirit of the holiday season.

The ad features the track ‘I won’t let it die’ by US hip hop act Ugly Duckling.

The campaign is running across TV, cinema, radio, out-of-home, social and digital channels. Media planning and buying is by Bicycle.

The push is part of Greater Anglia’s ongoing efforts to change the way people feel about its brand, by harnessing emotional communications and its Red Hare device. The brand’s research shows that 58% of people said that the Hare makes them feel positive about Greater Anglia, while System One research has validated consumers’ emotional responses to the device, noting “happiness trends” and the humour of the Hare.

David Metherell, head of commercial development, Greater Anglia, said, “'We are excited to unveil our new festive campaign, ‘Christmas Lights,’ which aligns perfectly with our creative platform, ‘It’s Great Out There.’ As we approach the holiday season, this is the perfect time to showcase the benefits of train travel—offering a stress-free journey away from the chaos of driving and crowded spaces, allowing families to truly relish their time together. This year, we've shifted from traditional sentimentality to infuse humour, capturing the festive season's lively spirit. This approach not only makes our message more relatable but also invites families to experience the joy of travel with Greater Anglia, illuminating their holiday season in true style and proving once again that it really is great out there."

Louise Rudaizky, managing director, Atomic London, added, “The launch of 'Christmas Lights' for Greater Anglia, along with the debut of our new creative platform ‘It’s Great Out There,’ epitomises our philosophy of unlocking a brand's superpower—in this case, connecting people to meaningful experiences. By stepping away from traditional Christmas sentimentality, we chose to celebrate the holiday’s joyful chaos. Our approach was to weave humour into the narrative, transforming the festive season’s preparations into opportunities for genuine connection and fun. Whether it’s battling the infamous Christmas lights or enjoying a spontaneous day out, we believe this campaign will inspire families to rediscover the joy of train travel, appreciating the journey as much as the destination."