Campaign that saw a reduction in customer accidents at Avanti West Coast stations wins award

• Fun and festive safety campaign honoured at annual PRWeek awards
  
• Intoxicated-related accidents at Avanti West Coast stations reduced by 25 percent following launch of successful initiative
  
• Low-alcohol brew introduced within campaign now a permanent feature on Avanti West Coast services

An Avanti West Coast campaign which helped reduce the number of customer accidents along the West Coast Main Line during the festive period has been honoured at the prestigious PRWeek awards.

Recognised in the ‘Marketing Communications: Automotive and Transport’ category, the intercity operator celebrated a win for the success of its festive safety campaign which was created with Cubaka – a social media agency. The initiative focused on reducing customer accidents at its stations and onboard its trains through the introduction of a new low alcohol beer named ‘Safety Thirst’.

Created in partnership with The Birmingham Brewing Company – an independent brewery local to the West Coast Main Line – the 0.5 percent pale ale was available to purchase throughout the Christmas period from the shop onboard Avanti West Coast trains as an alternative low alcohol option for customers travelling home from their festive catch ups.

To promote the campaign, a choir of Avanti West Coast colleagues gathered at Stafford station to film a Christmas jingle to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’, with the lyrics reworked to convey key safety messages that are crucial to encouraging customers to take care when they’re travelling. 

This is the second phase of the long-distance operator’s ‘Take Care. Get There’ campaign, which was launched initially in August 2024 to promote safety to customers navigating their way through its stations. The specific Christmas focus of this latest phase was created in response to findings from the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) that accidents where intoxication may have been a factor rise by 45 percent during the Christmas period.

The RSSB backed the initiative alongside Drinkaware, who described the introduction of the low alcohol brew on Avanti’s services as a “great move” that will “help people cut back on their drinking”.

Within four weeks of the launch, the operator saw a 25 percent drop of intoxication-related passenger accidents at its stations and onboard its trains, and over the 2024 festive period, it recorded zero intoxication-related assaults on its staff members – a 100 percent decrease on the previous year.

The success of the campaign can be seen onboard Avanti West Coast’s services to this day as, due to popularity, ‘Sober Brummie’ – the Birmingham Brewing Company drink that Safety Thirst was based on – is now a permanent feature on its First Class menu.

Andy Milford, Sales and Brand Manager at the brewery said: “The Safety Thirst campaign has helped our name get further afield and has subsequently meant that people have become aware of who we are and what we do with regards to the low and no alcohol sector; it’s been fantastic for our business. Since the campaign our Sober Brummie is now being stocked in First Class which means we can help keep the safety message rolling on.”

Jo Bird, Communications Director at Avanti West Coast said: “We’re delighted that the innovative and fun Safety Thirst campaign has been recognised within the industry as a successful initiative to help reduce customer accidents along the West Coast Main Line.

“We wanted to bring safety to the forefront of travellers’ minds at a time when it is needed the most. Safety advice can sometimes come across as a lecture, but what our campaign has done is bring to light a very important message in a fun and creative way – mirroring the festive cheer of Christmas and leaving a lasting impression on customers as they make their next journey on the railway at other times of the year.”

View the launch of the Safety Thirst campaign story here.

ENDS