The objective was simple – get more people in the UK to consider travelling on a P&O Ferry. The ferry category has been shrinking for decades, with travellers opting for faster, more convenient and often cheaper alternatives. We needed to change the way we positioned the business, from leaders in the category to challengers in the broader travel market. As we couldn't outspend the competition, we needed to disrupt. A challenging market therefore became our opportunity. The cost of living and summer of travel disruption had given people a reason to re-evaluate the way they travelled. People were tired of being seduced by short travel times and fake up-front costs only to be scorned by hidden add-ons. We needed to use bold product facts to remind them that trains and planes might be faster, cheaper or more convenient but P&O Ferries are still the most enjoyable way to travel.

Any successful campaign needs to answer key questions to ensure its effectiveness, and the P&O campaign answered each with confidence. Did people see it? We saw ad awareness increase by 120%. Did the message land with people? We saw a 76% and 77% rise respectively against the key category drivers of 'making the journey hassle-free' and 'making the journey an enjoyable part of the holiday'. How did it affect the brand? The campaign drove immediate brand uplift, with our YouGov brand score reaching positive levels for the first time in a year. How did people respond? We saw consideration increase by 18% and purchase intent rise by 92%! Did it translate into real business results? We saw a 50% uplift in website traffic and a 120% increase in bookings year on year during the campaign period. Not bad for a brand in choppy waters.