Transport for London's media campaign had to be pro-active. It wasn't just about getting the media on-side - it was about clear messaging, articulate positioning and a complex story. The implications of getting it wrong would have had immense repercussions for the success of the Games.

1. How TfL supported a great 2012
Games and kept London moving
Stuart Ross
Director of News, TfL
8 November 2012
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2. How TfL supported a great 2012 Games
and kept London moving
• Games transport and comms challenge
• Get Ahead of the Games campaign
• Use of Social Media:
• Ahead of the Games
• During the Games
• In legacy
• Excellent customer experience
• Success & Legacy
• Q&A
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3. Challenge 1: Scale
Olympic Games
17,800 athletes and team officials
5,000 Olympic Family officials
22,000 media
7.4 million ticketed spectators
Paralympic Games
4,000 athletes and team officials
1,000 Paralympic Family officials
4,000 media
2.7 million tickets
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4. Challenge 2: Location
Greater London
Wembley Arena
Wembley Stadium
CENTRAL ZONE OLYMPIC PARK RIVER ZONE
Wimbledon Earls Court Olympic Stadium North Greenwich Arena
Lord’s Cricket Ground Aquatic Centre Greenwich Park
Hyde Park Other Park venues Royal Artillery Barracks
Horse Guards Parade ExCel
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5. Challenge 3: Daily Variability
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6. Challenge 4: Diverse audiences to reach,
communicate and engage with
Games Family Spectators Tube users Bus users
Drivers Walkers and Mobility impaired Businesses
cyclists people
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7. Challenge 5: Media and public perception
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8. Partners working together to meet challenge
• Throughout, we had twin objectives:
• Deliver a great 2012 Games
• Keep London and the UK moving
• London 2012 Games transport strategy
had four main elements:
• Invest in public transport capacity, reliability and
accessibility
• Enhanced public transport – more and later
services
• Manage the road network effectively for all road
users
• Manage travel demand patterns to keep
London and the UK moving
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9. The Transport Demand challenge
An additional 3 million
public transport trips on the
busiest days of the Olympics
• Reductions in the volume of normal
On a normal travel, due to school holidays and
travel demand management, offset
day, 12 million by increases associated with Games
and cultural events
public transport
• So congestion likely at hotspots at
trips per day in certain days, times and locations –
London not across the entire network
• That’s why re-timing, re-routing and
changing the way people travelled
was so important
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10. Impact ‘at certain times and in certain
locations’ – The Hotspots
Roads Tube stations
70% 65%
Unaffected Unaffected
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11. The ‘Get Ahead of the Games’ campaign
• ‘Get Ahead of the Games’
campaign to communicate
directly with
Londoners, commuters and
people right across the UK
• Information, tips and advice
via ads, posters, emails and a
new website, Twitter, YouTube
and Facebook channels
• Explain how those who live and
work in travel hotspots can:
• Reduce
• Reroute
• Retime
• Remode their journeys
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12. Get Ahead of the Games – Campaign Phases
Olympic Paralympic
Jan-Mar Apr-Jun July Games
Day 1
Games
Day 1
S t a g e 1: S t a g e 2: S t aPhase e
S tea g
g 3: Stage
3: :
3 4:
Raise Explore Activate
awareness options o pActivate
tions Transit-
Ac t i v a t ion
options
e
options
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13. GAOTG website – The campaign hub
@GAOTG Twitter
and other social
media channels
integrated with
campaign
website
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14. Detailed info on public transport hotspots...
Public transport
‘hotspots’
identified for each
day of Olympic
and Paralympic
Games. Click for
more info and
travel advice
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15. ...and on the road network
Road transport
hotspot areas
also identified
with ‘avoid’ and
‘expect delay’
message to
encourage
people to plan
ahead
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16. GAOTG Social Media Channels
• GAOTG Facebook Page:
– Simple presence to provide GAOTG news and info
• GAOTG YouTube channel:
– To amplify video content, ads and engage audience
– Boost PR campaign and provide easily accessible content
for media
• @GAOTG:
– Key campaign tool – distribution of messages, news and
campaign content
– Ahead of the Games – Continuous stream of information on
how to plan ahead and links to website, YouTube
– During the Games – information on key ‘hotspots’ to avoid
each day and real-time travel info and advice
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17. TfL Social Media Channel Summary
• TfL Facebook Page – News and information about
TfL and current campaigns
• TfL YouTube channel – Repository for campaign
videos, information films and ads
• TfL Twitter channels:
– @TfLOfficial: PR and news management
– @TfLTravelAlerts: Real-time Tube, DLR, London Overground
– @Centralline... Line-based channels for all TfL rail lines
– @TfLTrafficNews: Real-time road travel info
– @BarclaysCycle: News and info – eg suspended docking
stations – for Barclays Cycle and Superhighways
– @TfLTPH: Taxi and Private Hire – stakeholder comms
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18. Get Ahead of the Games PR – Pre Games (1)
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19. Get Ahead of the Games PR – Pre-Games (2)
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20. TfL Games-time Communications
Games-time communications:
 Twice daily press notices (7am & 2pm)
 Daily Metro content (5am)
 Daily customer emails (2pm)
 Public transport users (approx. 2m
recipients)
 Roads users (approx. 1m recipients)
 Daily station posters (3.30pm)
 Daily business bulletin (5pm)
 Twice daily stakeholder bulletins (11am &
4pm)
 Regular Tweets (TfL & GAOTG)
 Ongoing online content and Journey
Planner updates
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21. 4. Exceptional customer experience
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23. London 2012 Games Transport Success
• Tube and DLR carried record numbers
– up 35% on normal summer levels
• Tuesday Aug 7 busiest in Tube history –
4.57m in one day
• Record Barclays Cycle Hire figures –
1m hires in July, 47k on 26 July
• West End Tube station footfall up by
average 7% year-on-year
• Around one third changed their travel
• Central London traffic down 15%
• Huge crowds for road events
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24. From chaos to commendation...
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25. London 2012 – Transport & Comms Legacy
Transport Legacy:
• £6.5bn in improved transport links
• Fast, frequent & reliable service
• Fully integrated communications
=
Excellent customer experience
Communications Legacy:
• GAOTG demonstrated potential to change
travel behaviour, with operational benefits
• Step change in digital and social media –
PR and customer comms
• New approach to Wayfinding & Signage
=
Reputation boost for TfL, London and UK
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26. London 2012 Games – Social Media Legacy
• Get Ahead of the Games campaign ended
following Paralympics
• Website remains ‘in legacy’ until end 2012
• But don’t want to lose the 60k Twitter
followers who benefited from travel advice
• So @GAOTG sought to migrate them to
@TfL... channels and other operators
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27. TfL Twitter Channel Summary
Followers:
@TfLOfficial: 55.3k
@TfLOyster: 6.7k
@TfLTravelAlerts: 18.5k
Line Feeds: Circa 80k
@TfLTrafficNews: 23.2k
@TfLBusAlerts: 6.5k
@BarclaysCycle: 8.6k
@EmiratesAirLDN: 3.2k
All Feeds: Over 200k
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28. Questions
@stuartross73
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