Explore the Night uncovered the hidden world of late-night Melbourne to inspire people to use all-night public transport. The campaign showcased hundreds of late-night destinations, and each one was within reach of a train, tram or bus stop. We created over 200 video, audio and outdoor executions, all geo-targeted to specific locations on the public transport map. So, when you were on public transport, you were served an ad that showcased the best late-night locations nearby to inspire you to stay out later and use the Night Network.

To uncover the whole city, we needed lots of content. So, we recruited 80 ‘Late-Night Explorers’ and gave each of them a camera, a travel card, and a public transport route to explore. They captured hundreds of hours of footage, photos and sound bites. These discoveries became the advertising on the network. We also used Facebook Canvas to help people plan their own journeys with interactive video. To give people even more reasons to explore the night, we invited 10 Australian music artists to create ‘Up-Late Playlists’ on Spotify. To listen to them, you had to find the posters on the network and scan the special codes. We also created ‘Melbourne’s Longest Ever Encore’, an activation that saw one of Australia’s biggest bands perform an epic 5-hour encore. They used the Night Network to get to 10 different iconic venues in a single night.

Explore the Night saw an increase in awareness of the Night Network service (+28%) and an increase in patronage (+42%). This resulted in many positive news stories from media outlets about all-night public transport and how it contributes to a vibrant city.