The Rail Industry Taps Merman to Show Train Journeys Are Special

Rail Delivery Group (RDG), the membership organisation that works on behalf of the rail industry, has launched a new integrated campaign as part of the rail industry’s National Marketing strategy developed by the rail industry’s Customer & Revenue Growth team.

On the train you can, the creative strategy and campaign created by TMW, part of Accenture Song, aims to show how travelling by train is a way to reclaim quality time for what matters. 

Data and insight highlighted that associating rail with human connection and time well spent not only helps create a stronger emotional response but also drives consideration by showing the valuable gains you achieve when you travel by train. 

The campaign has been developed by the rail industry’s Customer & Revenue Growth team and RDG in collaboration with the train operating companies.

Penny Allen, Head of Marketing Strategy in the rail industry‘s Customer & Revenue Growth Team: “We're not just selling train travel - we're selling time. A key insight theme is that travellers see train travel as time well spent. This campaign reflects the experience of rail travel across Britain, wherever you're going and whoever you travel with. Our vision is to position train travel as the smart, sociable, and enjoyable way to get around - a chance to reclaim your time and reconnect with what matters, both onboard and beyond. With 'On the train you can' we want to make train travel more mentally available by showing how rail lets you do more of what you want - from relaxation to productivity. It's about encouraging people to travel by train more often, not just because they have to, but because they want to.”

Claire Fegan, Head of Marketing Delivery at Rail Delivery Group: “The creative approach, uses emotive storytelling to show that train travel isn’t just about getting from A to B, it’s a unique opportunity to transform those in-between minutes and hours into moments that matter.”

TMW has worked alongside media agency Spark Foundry to deliver an integrated approach to maximise emotional impact. The campaign will unfold in three strategic areas of focus. The initial launch will establish the emotive foundation of the campaign – personal, human connection onboard the train, through high-impact above-the-line media, including TV, radio, cinema and large-format OOH.

Graeme Noble, Chief Creative Officer at TMW: “In a world where almost everyone feels like they’re too busy, this campaign celebrates a simple truth: the train is one of the few places where you can stop, breathe, and just be. For some people, that might mean a rare moment to have a breather and catch up on some life admin, get lost in thought or, even better, take an opportunity for a proper face-to-face conversation with friends and family.”

Key film assets, 'Before', which will be going out across cinema and TV have been produced by Merman and directed by Ben Liam-Jones and warmly demonstrates how train journeys can unlock intimate moments to connect. Opening with a young couple falling in love on cobbled Mediterranean streets (which was actually filmed in Wales), the story is narrated by a grandmother recalling her youth to her granddaughter on board a train. When the granddaughter says, "I didn't know you and grandad met in Italy", Gran replies, "Oh no... we met the following year!". As they laugh and the next mischievous tale begins, the voiceover concludes: "Getting to know Gran before she was Gran. On the train you can."

Ben Liam Jones from Merman, Director of the hero ad: “It’s not every day you get a creative idea so beautifully simple. So, obviously, I made it harder – by insisting we honour that simplicity the hard way: shooting everything for real, in-camera. No studios, no green screens. With the creative industry having an existential crisis over AI, going fully analogue felt like the most rebellious thing we could do."

For On the train you can, TMW developed a design system in which the iconic double arrow railway logo features loudly and proudly across all channels, ensuring every execution is unmistakably linked to the train experience.