/Case 007
Mayor of London
2023
Public
Campaign
Cycling, made
boring on purpose.
A public-health campaign that stopped trying to be exciting and saw participation rise instead.
Every previous campaign treated cycling like extreme sport. The first one to treat it like the bus worked.— Maya Olufemi, Director of Active Travel, GLA
/ 01 · Brief
Get more Londoners on bikes — without the lycra.
Three previous campaigns had performed cycling as a heroic act. The numbers showed it scared off the people who'd actually consider it.
The brief asked for the opposite of inspirational.
/Case 0072023
[ Bus-stop poster system — 14 routes ]
/ 02 · Approach
We treated bikes like the bus.
The campaign system mimicked TfL service updates: dry, factual, schedule-style. Posters listed routes, journey times, and weather caveats. No cinematic action.
We wrote in the same tone as the bus apology.
/Case 0072023
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[ Print ad — Metro back page ]
/ 03 · Outcome
Sign-ups, up 61%.
12-month cycling uptake on the targeted boroughs lifted 61% against control. Cost per signup dropped to £1.40.
The Mayor's office reused the system for the bus-lane consultation a year later.
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