EACH WEEK, I MAKE THE MOST OF MY DAILY COMMUTE AND GIVE MY TAKE ON SOME OF THE ADVERTISING ON LONDON UNDERGROUND. SOME OF IT'S DECENT, SOME OF IT'S CRAP. THIS WEEK... TRANSPORT FOR LONDON.
The original TfL tube ad.
This week MTCG goes a little bit meta and looks at the Transport for London ads on the Transport for London network. Unsurprisingly, TfL are probably one of the most prevalent advertisers on the tube network and have a variety of different campaigns and designs on the go at any one time.
The TfL tone of voice is essential an accessible one. TfL's audience is the millions upon millions of people who use their buses/tubes/trams/trains/bikes/taxis/cable cars (did I miss anything?) each and everyday, so it's important that their tone of voice caters for everyone. To do this, TfL use simple, plain English in short sentences that are easy to understand.
This ad looks at the range of night services that TfL are currently providing across London. It reads very much like a standard TfL ad, which works well for the audience because you instantly know that it is trustworthy and factually accurate. The use of the owl works well visually, although I wouldn't have chosen it personally.
In my reworked ad, I've tried to keep the TfL tone of voice while making it slightly more fun. Seize the night is a play on "carpe diem/seize the day" and reflects the fact that people are using the night network for a variety of reasons, from clubbing to shift work and everything in between. "Get more" also works well in highlighting the possibilities that the city has to offer after dark.
My reworked TfL tube ad.