Next Exit: Fashionland

TransLink gives its SkyTrain transportation campaign the style treatment

When you have places to go and fashions to buy, there’s no time for the hassles of traffic and parking. Just hop on the SkyTrain and get whisked away to your favourite shopping centre. It’s a tempting pitch that TransLink, the transportation authority in Greater Vancouver, Canada, delivered to commuters this spring via a campaign aptly dubbed The Fashion Line.
Named after a SkyTrain route that allows shoppers to explore multiple style destinations in one day, the campaign is a partnership between TransLink and five Greater Vancouver shopping centres: Pacific Centre, Brentwood Town Centre, Lougheed Town Centre, Metropolis at Metrotown and Central City.
On 4th May, commuters were invited to stop by TransLink’s Granville Station to attend a spring fashion show coordinated by Pacific Centre. It was the official launch of a campaign whose aim was to encourage the use of public transportation, while reminding local shoppers and tourists of the fashion-focused destinations that await, just a few stops away.
The strategy behind this cooperative campaign was based on a couple of simple facts: 1) Thirty-four percent of public transit users say they take transit to go shopping; and 2) Twenty percent of tourists surveyed indicated shopping as a reason to take the bus or SkyTrain.
The Fashion Line spoke directly to commuters—and potential shoppers—with clever copy and imagery through TransLink’s Buzzer publication, promotional cards, posters and billboards.
During the month of May, commuters could also enter to win a $1,000 (£490 or €710.50) MyTreat card, courtesy of VanCity credit union. Participants could pick up their entry forms in the Buzzer box on the SkyTrain or at any of the participating shopping centres’ customer service desks.