London's image had increasingly been perceived as traditional and outdated amongst American audiences. Our challenge was to deliver a more contemporary image of London, thereby communicating new and exciting reasons to visit now. 200,000 additional visitors spending £70,000,000 and a 10% increase in traffic to VisitLondon.com were our clear targets.

Full econometric analysis highlighted the power of our communication mix. We smashed our target six times over, delivering 1.3m additional visitors who spent an extra £450m. Visits to the website increased by 23%. The campaign attained unparalleled success with PR, driving massive broadcast coverage including the main national networks.

Five traditional London black cabs became the leading stars and were the platform around which all other elements of the campaign were built. The cabs and their drivers were transported to America to take part in a two week, twelve city tour driving from New York to San Francisco. Each cab spent 24 hours in each city, offering free rides and appearing on local TV and radio stations, continually delivering the Visit London message.

Our explorers were ‘Londonised’ through radio that communicated the ‘cabbie tour’ via airtime, promotions and competitions. Branded hand distributors delivered competition entries, whetting their appetite for the delights of the UK capital. They were further reached through national and local print whilst online encouraged them to both follow the tour and book trips directly. Integrated PR activities amplified the campaign effect and delivered truly exceptional levels of national coverage.

As a world class city, London attracts a certain high net worth calibre of visitor. This ‘mature explorer’ audience are concentrated in twelve cities across America, where flight links make travel to London a genuine possibility. Given the large geographical area of the United States, high levels of media clutter and our limited budget, we needed to focus our efforts over time and by city. The Cabbies Across America tour was born ensuring our mature explorers experienced London firsthand, by offering them real events for their heads, hearts and hands.