we love trains. we just do. so when given the chance to create a branding campaign for the train line with the coolest name on the tracks, the valley flyer, we watsons were all aboard.

the amtrak valley flyer

the amtrak valley flyer train service operates in western mass, and the marketing is run and managed out of franklin county by the franklin county regional council of governments (frcog). the valley flyer travels along the knowledge corridor in the heart of new england from the coast of connecticut in new haven through the culturally rich pioneer valley with stops in greenfield, holyoke, and northampton. it runs seven days a week with connections in new haven’s union station, allowing travel between central connecticut, western massachusetts, and new york city.

with competing modes of transportation and new england destinations, our objectives were two-fold. build a brand from the ground up that would provide the valley flyer the showcase it required to fulfill the goals of the pilot program, and with brand in hand, create top-of-mind brand awareness and put fannies in seats. we worked with stakeholders across municipalities to create everything from a variable logo, to the brand’s tone of voice, visual platform, and an integrated media strategy.

multi-channels for multi-targets.

while our primary targets are people traveling from western massachusetts to new haven and new york city, we’re also targeting new yorkers traveling outside of the city. in doing this, our western mass channel strategy included display & native digital, paid social, search, terrestrial radio, print, and out-of-home. our new york media included display & native digital, social media, search, and digital.

we also partnered with time out new york, executing both a special digital takeover and content creation that highlighted top attractions and activities along the train line.

our campaign: making stops

we first developed a variable logo that reflected the changing colors of the area — orange for fall to reflect the beautiful autumn landscapes in the region; blue in the summer to evoke the river getaways, etc. from there, we developed a campaign that uses quickly digestible headlines that feature three points of interest each, while promoting the benefits of train travel over driving. each execution also includes the service areas of greenfield, holyoke, and northampton. points of interest on the valley flyer line are written using playful language and alliteration to create accessible, memorable messaging. visually, we used reportage style imagery that allows the target to see themselves and select-in to various aspirational experiences.