Øresundsbron: The Launch of Gustav

Øresundsbron faced a significant challenge in revitalizing and strengthening the awareness and understanding of its ØresundGO agreement. The brand needed to re-establish its presence and clearly communicate its core value proposition: offering the lowest price for frequent travelers crossing the Øresund Bridge. The goal was not merely to increase general awareness, but to cultivate qualified awareness – ensuring target audiences understood the specific benefits and relevance of ØresundGO. This required a highly distinctive, memorable, and emotionally engaging brand identity to cut through a competitive market and resonate across diverse demographics in both Denmark and Sweden.

WPP Media engineered a comprehensive new brand platform and communication strategy for ØresundGO. A pivotal element was the creation and launch of Gustav, a unique 3D-animated, bespectacled, white seagull.

This strategic choice capitalized on the proven power of animated characters as strong, distinctive brand assets, highly effective in fostering emotional connections, enhancing recognition, and embodying core values. 

Designed as a "caring, optimistic, and charming sea bird," Gustav serves as the brand's new mascot and ambassador, embodying an energetic, price-conscious attitude and inspiring customers to explore the Øresund region while clearly explaining ØresundGO's benefits. As Jenny Olsson, Marketing Manager at Øresundsbron, stated, Gustav was introduced to "strengthen ØresundGO by creating a clear and attractive brand" and ensure a consistent experience across all channels. The solution involved a sophisticated, data-driven, and integrated channel strategy, utilizing a broad media mix including Addressable TV, OOH, radio, online display, Social Media, newsletters, and Øresundsbron.com, to deliver a cohesive and persuasive customer journey.

The integrated campaign, spearheaded by the introduction of Gustav and the new brand platform, delivered exceptional results, demonstrating the power of strategic creativity combined with data-driven execution:

• Significant Awareness Boost: Unaided awareness of ØresundGO saw a substantial increase, jumping by +8 and +9 percentage points in its two primary markets. This indicates a strong breakthrough in brand recall and recognition among the target audience, signifying the campaign's ability to capture attention effectively.

• Crystal-Clear Value Proposition: A remarkable 79% of respondents clearly understood the campaign's central message: that ØresundGO offers the lowest price for crossing the Øresund Bridge. This highlights the effectiveness of our communication strategy in conveying the core benefit without ambiguity, leading to high message retention.

• Client Endorsement: Jenny Olsson, Marketing Manager at Øresundsbron, enthusiastically affirmed the campaign's success: "The significant increase in awareness of ØresundGO is clear evidence that our approach has been spot on – both creatively and in our channel strategy."

• Enhanced Brand Engagement & Consistency: Gustav successfully fostered deeper engagement and created a consistent brand experience across all channels, making the brand more relatable and memorable. This is crucial for long-term brand loyalty and sustained growth in a competitive market, ensuring ØresundGO stands out.

This success story underscores how WPP's collaborative model, blending strategic insight, creative excellence, and precise media execution, can effectively drive brand recognition, communicate compelling value, and achieve measurable business outcomes for our clients, even in the face of previous awareness challenges.