Guilt Trips

In an effort to encourage young people in Australian cities to visit their parents in the country, V-Line trains and McCann Melbourne created Guilt Trips, a campaign that drew on a simple notion – there is no force more powerful than a mother’s guilt. Guilt Trips were pre-paid tickets that parents could send to their kids who live in the city, but, as the case study points out, they were so much more than just tickets; “they were a way for parents to lay some serious guilt onto their kids”. The campaign helped to increase train ticket sales by 15% and won the Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix at Cannes this year, but it’s the tone of the campaign that needs a special mention. Too often clients play it safe for fear of offending or antagonising its audience and so what emerges can be sterile and patronising. Here however, the client took a risk. With it’s tongue in cheek tone and dry humour the Guilt Trip campaign resonated with its mature audience and as a result the message struck a chord. Here’s to more risk taking.