Keep it simple stupid

A lovely friend of mine sent me this link earlier today.

It is a brilliant example of why simplicity rules when it comes to strategic planning.

Flybussarna, a Swedish coach company wanted to encourage consumers to catch the bus, rather than drive, to the airport. They appealed to the consumers' environmental conscience and literally demonstrated the environmental cost of driving a car versus catching the bus.

A few simple features of the campaign made it success:

1. They created a MASSIVE spectacle
2. The campaign was timely & tapped into a relevant social concern
3. They fuelled the media with 'new news' minute by minute as their live-video stream & emmissions monitor ticked over

I imagine this campaign was a very literal response to a brief that said "The emissions from 1 coach could save emissions from 50 cars". Perhaps it a lesson for all of us strategic types that we need not search the depths of consumers' brains but start with the obvious and make it even more obvious.