Find Your Happy Place 

Positioned as the cultural heart of the capital, London’s South Bank is a destination of choice when the sun is out. When the pandemic closed the area’s venues, restaurants and bars however, footfall in London Waterloo station fell by more than 85%. South Bank Employers’ Group (SBEG) needed to entice people back, but what was the hook with so many of the South Bank’s main attractions still closed?

Areas like Soho had been pedestrianised overnight, offering exciting alternatives for a day – or night – out in town. We had to remind South Bank residents and regulars that there was still plenty to be enjoyed, in a Covid- friendly way, whatever the weather or rules.

In a direct response to the long list of things you couldn’t do in 2020, we chose to celebrate opportunities to enjoy the simpler things in South Bank. Getting your 10,000 steps in on the iconic Hayward Gallery stairs, for example.

We commissioned artist Karin Akesson to produce a series of illustrations depicting iconic South Bank sights and then added details and copy lines – encouraging audiences to ‘Find Your Happy Place’ in the area’s green spaces and support local businesses.

Our South Bank London campaign was seen across posters, billboards, digital and social media. And with the flexibility to mix and match words and illustrations, we could select those most appropriate for each application.

The campaign generated:

• 400% uplift in footfall from April 2020 to August 2020 (Source: Network Rail Waterloo)
• 90,000 views of the What’s On map (Source: Google Analytics).