Brittany Ferries were looking to improve the impact of onboard customer communications across a range of touchpoints, ensuring consistency of tone, styling and messaging.
Rather than being seen as a ferry brand, Brittany Ferries considers itself more of a leisure business, encouraging customers into ‘holiday mode’ from the moment they step on board. The starting point of this project was therefore to investigate and identify the core elements which underpin the Brittany Ferries customer experience and to then visualise these pillars in the form of a ‘wheel’. This has become a key resource that has been further developed over time through the inclusion of additional levels of detail.
Focusing on the key brand pillars, we designed a suite of customer communication materials to visually bring them to life, showcasing all aspects of the Brittany Ferries experience and looking to build empathy and connection with passengers. The touchpoints included digital screens, large-format posters, windows and signage. Designs were clear and impactful and could be adapted to suit messaging appropriate for each pillar. Assets needed to feel modern, yet at the same time harness the positive aspects of their 50+ year heritage.
We referenced the brand guidelines and explored how to develop them for use onboard, whilst also retaining non-negotiable elements such as the logo, headline and 'Marie-Louise' border used across the majority of Brittany Ferries’ collateral.
Discussions with the Brittany Ferries Marketing team highlighted which areas of the brand wheel needed further exploration and the Onboard Retail Experience was quickly identified as an opportunity. In particular, Duty-Free shopping is an appealing proposition for passengers whereby Brittany Ferries is able to offer additional discounts on many of the products sold onboard (when travelling in and out of the EU) vs buying them on the UK high street. The challenge is to clearly communicate to customers who are not aware what Duty-Free shopping is why it represents such great value for money and how they can take advantage of it. There were many elements, both physical and digital to consider, as well as the need for a sub-brand to help customers easily identify Duty-Free offers when on board. This involved the design of a clear red and white Duty-Free roundel, plus a supporting secondary message to create a prominent and visually impactful livery.
To enhance perceptions of the onboard retail experience for passengers who perhaps assumed that the experience was pretty functional and uninspiring, we undertook a lifestyle photoshoot – project managing every aspect, from sourcing a photographer, casting multiple models and art-directing the onboard shoot itself. We also collated a shot list to ensure all products and facets of the customer experience were displayed to their full potential.
In addition to static assets, a number of high quality animations were created to further improve customer communication of key brand messages. These included dynamic storytelling about the benefits of Duty-Free shopping, about customs allowances and an insight into what a visit to the onboard shop might be like.
Whilst onboard shopping is a key element of the customer experience (and a vital revenue-driver for Brittany Ferries), the various onboard food and drink outlets are also crucially important. We used our deep expertise within the hospitality sector to design refreshed customer communication in both the Self-Service Restaurants and Coffee Shops – creating attractive, informative and modern graphics, as well as new menus to appeal to customers and encourage them to visit for a meal, snack or just a drink.
Another key brand pillar we focused on was Sustainability. The Brittany Ferries team wanted a simple, yet engaging piece of content to communicate their ongoing commitment to being more responsible about their environmental impact. We created an animation for display on onboard digital screens, highlighting useful facts and figures, the measures the company had taken and the impact of their actions to date. The animation was also translated into French and Spanish to meet the needs of passengers on all Brittany Ferries crossings and then converted into ‘shorts’ for use on social media.
The ‘Always On’ campaign communicating Brittany Ferries’ brand pillars is an ongoing project, one where we are continually looking for ways to enhance, develop and become more effective. Our goal is to ensure customer communication is as strong as possible and through close collaboration with the multi-centred Brittany Ferries team, we ensure all touch points are considered and the messaging optimised.
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