Scotland’s National Cycle Network (NCN) is a vast network of off-road paths and routes, accessible routes for walking, wheeling and cycling. It’s traffic-free, well-signposted, and—here’s the good news! —nearly half of the population in Scotland lives within just 1km of it.
But hardly anyone knows about it.
A YouGov poll revealed that only 27% of respondents had any idea where their nearest NCN path was.
That was a problem worth solving and a story that needed change.
Client:
- Sustrans Scotland
Sector:
- Public Sector
Services:
- Creative Development
- Video Content
- Photography
- Campaign Strategy
- Social Media Content
Campaign to Create Change
Sustrans Scotland, the custodians of the cycle network, appointed us to develop and implement a fun, light-hearted digital campaign, targeting people near a NCN route in urban and suburban areas in Scotland. The goal of the campaign was simple: boost awareness and inspire them to use the network for their everyday journeys.
A Creative Rooted in Everyday Life
We rooted the creative in everyday life. Real people. Familiar journeys. With a dash of fun and surprise. The message was simple and pithy – an offer of another route, a better path. The NCN isn’t just for weekend warriors—it’s A Better Way for the Everyday.
This campaign message made a simple offer to the target demographic.
We explored motivators like health, accessibility, and caring for the environment. We designed visuals featuring relatable characters commuting, popping to the shops, walking the dog – but doing it the NCN way.
We gave the “C” in NCN a playful twist—swapping out “Cycle” for other everyday verbs to drive home the point: the network’s for everyone, not just cyclists.
The campaign creative was accessible, inclusive, fun and engaging and the core concept allowed for a variety of expressions across photography and video.
In the streets and on the screens
Launched over the summer months, the creative hit the streets and screens across Scotland, during a season when they would be most receptive and willing to try the routes. Working closely with media partners at Spirit Media, we placed the campaign where it mattered most: right in front of the people living near the network. And with a call to action that was achievable and practical and kept the copy on the adverts minimal and simple.
The Impact
Each channel played its part. Outdoor raised visibility. Video drove engagement. Search brought in motivated users. And together, they moved the dial, achieving solid reach and engagement.
And the follow up research and analysis showed that the campaign achieved almost 10% increase of the NCN in awareness across the summer months.
Real change starts with awareness—and now, more people than ever know there’s a better way right on their doorstep.
“The team were so pleased to see the strong audience engagement throughout the campaign. The high YouTube 100% completion rate in particular shows how effective the hero content was. The dwell time and bounce rate on the page also suggests users were engaged with the campaign.”
– Sustrans Scotland Digital Team
2m
Impressions on Meta Platforms
318k
Video completions on Youtube
