The mere mention of travel inspires images of exotic vacations or the motherland back home with all the warm nostalgia. Immediately followed by the panic of missing a flight, possibly because of delays due to traffic, having to bid long farewells to family or simply making sure every member of the family is on track. Thankfully, for the latter, there’s UP Express – a comfortable, convenient and stress-free way to get to the airport on time.
Now that the travel industry is beginning to open up, and people are taking flights again, it’s helpful to know about UP Express, the air-link service running from downtown Toronto to Pearson Airport. Right from its launch in 2015, UP Express has been on track to be an integral part of Metrolinx’s regional transportation plan for the GTHA. The entire trip takes 25 minutes, with fully accessible trains running every 30 minutes, 7 days a week, with future plans to reinstate pre-pandemic 15-minute frequency. Best part, there’s complimentary Wi-Fi, plenty of seats, large luggage racks, and helpful and welcoming staff. And before you ask, yes, with the trains are cleaned daily with many more safety measures in place. UP Express is committed to your health and safety. And finally, it’s affordable, and kids 12 and under always travel for free.
All of these features have helped raise UP ridership – a 206% increase in October 2021 over the same time last year, and with ridership in October being 6.9 times that of April.
To increase awareness, UP Express has been running a campaign targeting multicultural travellers, inviting them on board. While the fear of missing a flight is universal, travel habits differ from community to community.
Balmoral Multicultural Marketing crafted compelling online videos after uncovering some unique insights. They discovered some communities frequently made long goodbye calls to family and friends before leaving, a reason their airport trip often got derailed. And research revealed others engage more with multi-generational or extended family vacations, causing their trip to get off track. These situations are humorously portrayed in the videos, which then end with the contrast of families enjoying a stress-free ride with UP Express. There are 2 films created under this campaign across 7 languages.( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsuShJpO4StC2KVgjlaw-UuHMeSMKeJV5)
“The insights are so relatable and true,” exclaims Metrolinx Vice President Brand Digital & Product Marketing, Sharyn Byrne-Nearing. “The vaccine rollout is making people feel safer to fly again, and it’s probably truer than ever they want to take the stress out of that experience. Traffic is also building up again and adding to the uncertainty of traveling to the airport and catching a plane. That’s at the very core of this idea.”
The online videos are supported by digital and social banners, condo digital signage and PR. The Keep Your Trip on Track multicultural campaign is part of a multi-year campaign that launches this month.
