Uber had been selling train tickets through its app since 2022 - but hardly anyone had been buying them. Why would they, when Uber was for booking cars - and they were happy booking trains how they always had?

Whilst using Uber to book trains felt odd, introducing a new, unfamiliar idea is easier when you build on existing, familiar references. So, as much as Uber’s associations were a weakness, its established language, iconography and behaviours were also a strength.

So, we created a campaign introducing the unfamiliar world of trains through the familiar world of Uber.

In this film, a young man named Mark prepares to board the train he booked via the Uber app, literally just as if he were getting inside an Uber car. He first looks for the driver to announce himself and tells the train driver he can drop him anywhere near the arrival station, letting the incredulous train driver retort that he will obviously drop him AT the station. To add to the driver’s incredulity, Mark tells him they’re now ready to go, as his partner joins him to enter the carriage.

Within a week, Uber saw an +85% increase in first time Trains users, a rise of 69% in ticket sales in London and almost double the amount of ticket sales at London Waterloo, with other major stations following closely behind.