ÖBB Austria Railways – HOW OH! (Austria)

Agency name: PKP proximity
Client name: ÖBB Austria Railways
Category: Integrated Communication

BACKGROUND
Travelling by train is not hip among young Austrians.
The campaign target: to motivate young people to travel by train in their summer holidays and to sell 120,000 summer-tickets (+5% vs 2006).
The ÖBB summer-ticket is a special holiday-offer from the Austrian Railway company ÖBB for unlimited train use for € 19 (age <20)>
OBJECTIVES
To motivate young Austrians to travel by train in their summer holidays.
To promote the ÖBB summer-ticket.To sell 120,000 ÖBB summer-tickets.

STRATEGY
Taking the train is not the transport of first choice with young Austrians. But for most of them taking the train is their only realistic opportunity to travel in their holidays. We needed something or someone who would have credibility with the target group, and could say “'move your ass' and go out in summer! It's easy... With the lowest train-fares from ÖBB (Austrian Railways)”.

We created a new hero: the Canadian Indian „Howling Heoro Keese”. He became a real character with his own online platform, TV-show and events.

To approach young people in their own language two linked campaigns were set up:

• a viral campaign to introduce the Indian
• four weeks after the viral teaser campaign the TV-, Print- and Billboard campaign started with details of the offer and reservations on

www.inmotion.oebb.at
OTHER COMMUNICATION
Viral Campaign, My Space Site, GO TV, Print, Billboard, Citylights, TV Spot, Online,

CREATIVE STRATEGY
The viral campaign was started by sticking cryptic yellow posters and stickers to walls and places where young people come together.

“The ear” as a symbol for the “hearing Indian” was created and myspace.com/how_oh went online.
On the website people learned about the “Free Culture Network” of a Canadian Indian called Howling Hearo Keese who knows everything about the 'in' places (cause he's “all-hearing”).
Basic Message: HOW OH! “Iroquois” meaning something in between “Get lost!” and meaning in Austrian dialect “get out of here!”

Key Visuals: “The ear” and Howling Hearo Keese
Only four weeks after the viral teaser campaign the TV-, Print- and Billboard campaign started with details of the offer and reservations on www.inmotion.oebb.at.THE STAR & HEROE: Howlin hero Keese

ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONS
An outstanding hero, connecting all media-channels (incl. direct marketing, viral, classic & guerilla) and a slogan as a new word-creation (HOW OH!) that's now in the mind of every young Austrian.