An Avanti West Coast safety campaign that helped reduce customer accidents along the West Coast Main Line during the Christmas period has been recognised at the prestigious PRWeek Awards. The intercity operator won in the ‘Marketing Communications: Automotive and Transport’ category for its festive initiative, created in partnership with social media agency Cubaka. The campaign, titled Safety Thirst, aimed to reduce alcohol-related incidents by introducing a low-alcohol beer to encourage safer travel during the festive season.

Working with The Birmingham Brewing Company, Avanti launched a 0.5% pale ale named Safety Thirst, available on board its trains throughout the Christmas period as an alternative for passengers travelling home from celebrations. To promote the initiative, Avanti West Coast colleagues formed a choir at Stafford station to perform a reworked version of Jingle Bells, featuring lyrics designed to highlight key safety messages. The project marked the second phase of the operator’s Take Care. Get There campaign, first launched in August 2024, and was inspired by Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) research showing intoxication-related accidents rise by 45% during the festive period.

The RSSB supported the initiative alongside Drinkaware, which described the introduction of the low-alcohol beer as a “great move” that would “help people cut back on their drinking.” Within four weeks of the campaign’s launch, Avanti recorded a 25% drop in intoxication-related passenger accidents at stations and on trains. Over the 2024 festive season, there were zero intoxication-related assaults on staff – a 100% decrease from the previous year. Owing to its success, Sober Brummie – the Birmingham Brewing Company’s drink that inspired Safety Thirst – now features permanently on Avanti’s First Class menu.

Andy Milford, Sales and Brand Manager at the brewery, said: “The Safety Thirst campaign has helped our name get further afield and has subsequently meant that people have become aware of who we are and what we do with regards to the low and no alcohol sector; it’s been fantastic for our business. Since the campaign our Sober Brummie is now being stocked in First Class which means we can help keep the safety message rolling on.” Jo Bird, Communications Director at Avanti West Coast, added: “We’re delighted that the innovative and fun Safety Thirst campaign has been recognised within the industry as a successful initiative to help reduce customer accidents along the West Coast Main Line. We wanted to bring safety to the forefront of travellers’ minds at a time when it is needed the most. Safety advice can sometimes come across as a lecture, but what our campaign has done is bring to light a very important message in a fun and creative way – mirroring the festive cheer of Christmas and leaving a lasting impression on customers as they make their next journey on the railway at other times of the year.”

Image: Avanti West Coast