National Express East Coast
From afar, I thought these were scans from Hello! Magazine. Moving past the layout, I quickly found the candid takes of “Mum and Dad” to be anything but the stuff of celebrity rags.
Flickr was all it took to capture the kindred, unpretentious vibe for National Express East Coast’s holiday advertisements. Most everyone could relate to these pictures. Except by showing Prince Harry escaping to and fro Grandmum and Dad in London, they’re as universal as they could get.
This is a train operator deigning to a populace who needs it. Nothing proves that than advertising bargain fares in the midst of trying times. In a recession not seen since 1947, economists are waxing pessimistic over the British Isles as much as they do over the US.
The generous company at hand, National Express East Coast, was franchised to the National Express Group of transport services only last year. GNER originally operated the coveted East Coast train service, which covers 920 miles and annually conveys 17 million passengers in the UK. All in all, National Express Group runs 2,301 trains every day. Combined with its diverse transport services, National Express Group accounts for one billion trips a year, globally.
Discount trips to Scotland couldn’t come at a better time. New Year’s Day, if nothing else, means the most to the Scots, who celebrate it with such hedonistic sanguinity.
Over time, New Year’s Day in Scotland came to be called Hogmanay. The celebration either derived from Viking custom or the fact that Scots hadn’t been able to observe Christmas for four centuries. In the latter sense, pent-up joy could only burst forth at New Year’s Day.
In Edinburgh, Hogmanay is four days of unadulterated revelry. It just kicked off the other day with a traditional Torchlight Procession, wherein people create a stream of fire across the Royal Mile, to consummate in a fiery blaze atop Calton Hill.
Hours from now, it’s the city’s world-famous Hogmanay Street Party. Like every other year, on the strike of twelve, party-goers kiss everybody else and break into a rendition of Robert Burns’ “For Auld Lang Syne,” amidst coruscating laser and fireworks.
Tonight’s festivities will see Groove Armada, Paolo Nutini, and Friendly Fires playing in Princes Street Gardens. Meanwhile, ceilidh bands will take over East Princes Street. Peatbog Faeries and Attic Lights will also be in the city too, among other acts.
We’re on the cusp of a new year already. Wherever time zone you are, StillAd wishes you a happy 2009!
Advertising Agency: Dentsu London, UK
Creative Director: Andy Lockley
Art Director: Andy Preston
Copywriter: Joe Williams
Photographer: Flickr
Designer: Winston Archer
Published: December 2008
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If these images were taken from flickr, I wonder if they had a suitable model release? There was that ad campaign in for Virgin mobile that used photos with a creative commons licence but neglected to get model releases
http://www.out-law.com/page-8494
Comment by Paulo Rodrigues — 31 December, 2008 @ 9:09 pm
And, if these images were taken from Flickr, I trust that the photographer(s)gave permission for commercial use. And, maybe even compensated!
Comment by Doug Felts — 15 January, 2009 @ 4:41 pm
I would really HOPE so, and well at that.
Comment by Serge — 16 January, 2009 @ 11:15 am
How can you list the Photographer as Flickr? Flickr.com is a website where many photographers post many photographs. It is not one photographer. Also, there are specific licensing rules, many of which include, at the very least, giving the photographer(s) credit for the WORK they have done. Flickr.com also has strict Terms of Service which state that if you use a photo that was posted to the Flickr.com website, you must link that photo back to the page where the original image resides.
Comment by Tracy Lee Carroll — 17 January, 2009 @ 5:44 am
Thanks, you are right the people who did National Express East Coast (Advertising Agency: Dentsu London, UK) did not credit the photographer on their ads. That is why I am personally against this ‘give away images just to see yourself in print’ in advertising.
Comment by Serge — 17 January, 2009 @ 1:12 pm
I’d love to find out what permissions they had because most people who put up creative commons licences on flickr make attribution a condition and many more like myself reserve all rights
Comment by Paulo Rodrigues — 25 January, 2009 @ 6:58 pm