The Problem:

Since the last SPT Subway campaign in  2019, travel habits have changed dramatically. Subway patronage had recovered to 90% of pre-Covid levels but aims to fully recover in the next 12 months. but Subway “isn’t in the current mindset” of many Glaswegians within the core catchment area, retention is difficult, hybrid working impacts core midweek patronage and there are price misconceptions. However, with modernization and new trains arriving, it’s a vastly improved service and experience than many remember.

The MindField Thinking:

We knew we had to increase usage and instil a sense of ownership and pride in the community by reminding them there is no better way to travel than on My Subway, around My Glasgow. We would dramatise the universal benefits of Subway for the many cohorts who could use it on a daily basis:: service, frequency, reliability, punctuality, convenience, price, pride and ownership.

The Answer:

SUBCULTURE Definition: the way of life, customs, and ideas of a particular group of people within a society . For us, it’s people who use Subway for a broad mix of reasons.

In this typography-led campaign, we took ‘SUB’ from SUBWAY and use it as a pre-fix to communicate your key features and benefits. It opens a world of possibilities from the sheer volume of words that begin with ‘SUB’:

•SUBCULTURE – the people who use Subway and those who specifically do so to  visit museums, art galleries, concerts etc 

•SUBSTITUTE – the car or bus for Subway

•SUBSCRIBE  – to cheaper travel by Smartcard 

•SUBSTANTIAL – improvements and modernization

•SUBTERRANEAN – is the best way round the city is underground

•SUBVERSIVE – showcased Glasgow’s unique sense of humour (cone on Duke of Wellington statue), LGBTQ+ community and diverse underground music and arts scene

SPT Subway is your ticket to good times in Glasgow.