Behaviour Change Campaign

Make your move to cycling.

Campaign Project Overview

Already an established brand, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s award-winning CityConnect programme is aimed at encouraging more people to travel by bike or on foot.

They needed the support of a considered cycling and walking behaviour change campaign with longevity.

Key Business Challenges

Needed to increase awareness of CityConnect programme across the region.

How might they tell this story?

Looking to increase sign ups to CityConnect initiatives by up to 10%

How should they be positioned?

No credible campaign platform from which to promote the cycling and walking opportunities to end-users.

How might they communicate?

Insight Process

Stakeholder workshops to understand the mission, offer and audience groups.

We stood in the shoes of end-users and experienced the offer ourselves, including:

Cycling the Cycle Superhighway into Leeds
Attending a ‘learn to ride’ course, part of the programme offer
Attending the Wellington Place Cycle Festival
A day spent at the Happy Days Cycle Café to understand the financial constraints that hold people back from riding, and also the mental and social benefits of taking it up

Campaign Proposition

Make Your Move to cycling.

Naming, branding and messaging for the campaign
Video footage of varying lengths and specifications for use across multiple digital platforms
All photography, to capture stills of the campaign’s video subjects
Visual assets for online and offline promotions, including everything from channel-wide social media graphics to posters for bus stops and railway stations

Campaign Implementation

A series of videos of families and individuals, talking about their experiences and the benefits cycling has brought to them.

Subjects included Rob, who turned to cycling as a way to reconnect with the world following his diagnosis of a rare form of Leukaemia; Annika who had overhauled her commute into the centre of Leeds since getting on her bike; and Helena who is now fitter, healthier, lighter and far more sociable.

Campaign Impact

Increased visitors to the CityConnect website by 25%.

Social media followers increased by 25% and engagement by 300%, across CityConnect channels.

Increased sign-ups to CityConnect initiatives by 10%.

“We were particularly attracted by The Engine Room’s collaborative approach, working with us to develop an impactful campaign concept with longevity instead of imposing their own ideas. We were really impressed with the team’s willingness to go that extra mile to understand our work and what we’re trying to achieve, including riding one of our routes and taking part in one of our free adult cycle training sessions.”

Amy Jones, communications and engagement advisor,
West Yorkshire Combined Authority