Interrail celebrates journeys beyond destinations

The Interrail Effect platform draws on the idea that the less predictable elements of train travel can contribute to memorable experiences

Interrail has launched The Interrail Effect, a global brand platform focused on how rail travel can influence travellers’ perspectives and experiences beyond the destinations they visit.

Co-created by creative agency WE ARE Pi and social agency Butterfly Effect, the platform also unifies Interrail and Eurail under a single global brand. It is the first work for Interrail from WE ARE Pi since the agency was appointed as its brand and creative agency in April.

Interrail unifies its global rail Pass brand

Interrail B.V. previously operated Interrail for European residents and Eurail for travellers from outside Europe, despite the two brands offering the same rail Pass product. The Eurail Pass will now be rebranded as Interrail, creating a single brand and Pass for the company's global traveller community.

The change follows the company's decision earlier this year to change its name from Eurail B.V. to Interrail B.V. The Interrail Global Pass provides rail travel across up to 33 countries.

Creator campaign explores the impact of rail travel

An Interrail customer survey conducted earlier this year found that around 70 percent of customers said their trip changed how they see the world, while a similar proportion viewed the experience as more impactful than other types of holidays.

Around a quarter of respondents considered their Interrail trip much more impactful than other holidays. Interrail is using these findings to position rail travel as an alternative to tourism focused primarily on visiting a checklist of destinations.

30 creators document their journeys across Europe

WE ARE Pi and Butterfly Effect have developed a creator- and community-focused campaign involving 30 creators who travelled across Europe with Interrail during the summer. The group includes travellers from the US, Canada, Australia and Europe, with a range of ages, backgrounds and travel styles.

The creators included solo, group and family travellers, as well as people taking their first Interrail trip and more experienced rail travellers. Their footage, diary-style content and personal reflections have been used to create campaign films and social assets.

Campaign focuses on experiences beyond destinations

The resulting short films feature interactions with strangers, new friendships, scenery encountered during journeys and missed connections that become memorable experiences.

The launch film, Between here & there, uses Funiculì, Funiculà, the Neapolitan song composed by Luigi Denza with lyrics by Peppino Turco in 1880 to mark the opening of a funicular railway on Mount Vesuvius.

The Interrail Effect rolls out across three markets

Interrail is positioning The Interrail Effect as the foundation for future campaigns, partnerships, content, community initiatives and customer experiences. Creator activity will continue under the platform, with future work planned around cultural moments, different voices and personal stories.

The campaign launches globally from September 10 in the UK, Australia and the US across paid and owned media, organic social, email marketing, partnerships and PR. Participating creators will also publish content on Instagram, TikTok and other social platforms.

Özlem Birkalan, Chief Brand and Commercial Officer at Interrail: “ ‘The Interrail Effect’ isn’t something we invented. It’s something travellers have described to us for decades, in their own worlds, after every journey. What’s changing is that we’re finally building the brand around it. Not around where people travel, but around what travelling like this does to them.”

Rick Chant, ECD, WE ARE Pi: “At a time when travel has never been more accessible, it’s becoming a race to see more and post more, with a third of people admitting they sometimes do an activity on holiday just so they can put it on their socials. Often, however, it’s the experience of the journey, and not the destination itself, that truly transforms you; and this is the insight that ‘The Interrail Effect’ brings to life.”

www.interrail.com

www.wearepi.com

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