Delivering over and above the client’s targets with an eye‑catching integrated campaign for students.
Nottingham Express Transit (NET) operates the tram network covering Nottingham. With around 70,000 new students arriving in the city each year, they’re a key part of NET’s customer base. Since 2022, we’ve partnered with NET to deliver a series of bold, student-focused campaigns. And year-on-year, we’ve improved the effectiveness of the campaign by evolving the creative to drive stronger engagement, increase brand awareness and boost app downloads for their free ticketing app NETGO! Which in turn has driven awareness, loyalty and sales above target. And as a result of this, the campaign also won a DBA effectiveness award for NET and Michon too.
With the student market generating a significant portion of NET’s revenue, they wanted to drive more interest and downloads of the NetGo! app within this target audience. As one of the biggest events in the student calendar, the freshers’ fairs were used as a focal point to drive sales of the annual student travel ticket.
A typographical approach
We created a friendly and typographical integrated campaign that centered around the message ‘Get going with NetGo!’, which was deployed at key sites and tram stops leading up to freshers’ week. This eye-catching campaign put the benefits of using the tram service and what Nottingham has to offer, front and centre. We developed a messaging deck that focused on student discounts, safety and awareness, as well as showcasing Nottingham landmarks and points of interest close to relevant tram stops.
Effective engagement
To accompany the pre-event and post-event collateral, we devised a branded smoothie and juice beach bar for the freshers’ fair itself. The bar traveled between both university sites, offering free smoothies to students who signed up for the NetGo! app. To enhance engagement, we introduced interactive competitions each year. In 2023, students tested their luck with the ‘Dip and Pick’ board, while in 2024, they took on the bag toss game – both offering exciting prizes from NET’s partners, including The Royal Concert Hall and Motorpoint Arena. Additionally, students could participate in the mysterious smoothie challenge, where those who correctly guessed the ingredients were entered into a prize draw to win a pair of luxury Apple AirPods.
Direct targeting
With 41% of TikTok users aged between 16 and 24 years, we produced an organic TikTok campaign that targeted the student market directly in a fun and relatable way, promoting the reliability of the tram network and the ease of using the NetGo! app.
Driving awareness
To combat negative assumptions that the tram is unsafe at night, and that avoiding paying for tickets is possible, we also produced a series of awareness comms to support the campaign. Messaging focused on the consequences of being caught traveling without a valid ticket and the many travel safety features on NET trams, all under the ‘GET’ campaign look and feel.
Exceeding client targets
The impactful comms leading up to the freshers’ fairs and fun engagement tactics on the event stand resulted in a highly successful campaign, with a 68% year-on-year growth in sales, surpassing NET’s ambitious targets.
More success followed
The campaign continued, achieving even greater success in 2023, where the campaign generated a 20.6% increase in revenue compared to the previous year, alongside a 174% increase in market share.
The 2024 campaign further built on this success, achieving a 14% uplift from the previous year.
Overall, the campaign led to a 95% increase in revenue sales for the academic year student pass, a 30% increase in personal travel, and a significant increase in tram usage. The combination of eye-catching design and highly engaging events contributed to these remarkable results, alongside a noticeable decrease in fare evasion.
Award winning campaign
Recognising the outstanding impact of the campaign, it was awarded Silver in the DBA Design Effectiveness Awards. This accolade is a testament to the strategic and creative execution that drove real-world commercial success. Winning at the DBA awards is a mark of excellence, showcasing the combination of innovative design and its tangible impact on business growth and consumer engagement.
This recognition cements the campaign as an industry-leading example of how great design can deliver exceptional results and has only strengthened our relationship with NET.
The student market is a big priority for us, and we wanted to work with an agency who could develop a fresh creative concept that would make a real impact and work across all channels. Michon were brilliant from day one.
Not only did they immediately understand the brief, objectives, and audience, but they remained committed to those cornerstones throughout the process. Michon were great to work with and the team were all totally invested in making the campaign a success. As a result, they have helped deliver our best performing student campaign to date.
Head of Marketing - NET