Back story
As with previous years, the overall objective of this campaign was to minimise the number of disappointed people turning up to the NYE fireworks display without a ticket and being turned away. The campaign therefore needed to communicate extremely clear advice and messaging – about the need to book a ticket and about when tickets were sold out - without killing the sense of joy and celebration appropriate to a NYE fireworks display. A secondary aim of this year’s communications was to champion London’s European nationals and reinforce the central message of City Hall’s #LondonIsOpen campaign.
The creative came in the form of a New Year’s Eve starter pack containing all the essentials for a midnight celebration in the city. This approach was adapted to feature the essential elements of three other European New Year traditions,
to promote a message of inclusivity.
to promote a message of inclusivity.
Copy was kept clear and simple to avoid any confusion, in keeping with a public service announcement. Social messaging injected wit by comparing (unfavourably) the chances of seeing the fireworks without a ticket to landing on the moon or winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Overall, the campaign succeeded in balancing clarity with a sense of fun and anticipation.
How it impacted your organisation?
The campaign cemented our reputation for delivering excellent customer service comms for large-scale city wide events. It also helped deepen our relationship with multiple city-wide stakeholders due to clear operational comms.
How the project created an amazing experience for your constituents?
New operational policies related to the event were integrated extremely well, such as ‘no backpacks and suitcases’. This helped ticketholders. The new bag policy made minimal impact and there were no mentions of queues.
Integrating #LondonIsOpen into the event creative amplified reach of the Mayor’s campaign and message to make all Londoners feel welcome, and open to celebrating NYE wherever they are.
How it met your organizations objectives?
The campaign met our organisation’s objectives in the following ways:
- Awareness of Mayor’s ownership was slightly up on last year** (+4% of his ownership on 2017)
- 20,301 uses of #LondonNYE (+88% on 2017) and 15,547 contributors to the conversation.
- The hashtag trended across the UK at multiple points throughout the night, from 9.15pm.
- 8,290 uses of #LondonIsOpen (+360% increase on 2017) and huge increase in both hashtags together.
- Positive sentiment outweighed negative by 8:1, negative sentiment was largely related to the political conversation.
- 244 customer service messages were published on social media. Key conversation themes were Tickets, Travel & ticket reselling. The new bag policy made minimal impact and there were no mentions of queues.
