Metro Trains: Magpie

Melbourne’s train operator Metro has kicked off the AFL season with a new campaign encouraging footy crowds to take the train instead of driving to the game this year.

Created by McCann Melbourne and produced with the support of the AFL and the clubs, the new campaign depicts mascots from the Melbourne football teams in real-life scenarios, made possible by their choice to take the train, rather than trying to drive up Punt Road or find a park in Docklands.

“Every seasoned football fan knows the pain involved in driving to a footy match in Melbourne,” Chloe Alsop, Marketing Manger Metro Trains, said. “At Metro we’re constantly improving the train service in Melbourne, not just for weekday commuters but also for all major public events, especially the footy. We’re very proud that we could partner with the AFL and the footy clubs to bring this campaign to life.”

John Mescall, McCann Executive Creative Director, added: “This is an exciting campaign in a couple of ways. Firstly, we Melbournians turn up to the footy in mind-bogglingly huge numbers, and it’s nice to be able to acknowledge the fact that (despite the odd grumble) Metro does a bloody good job of getting us there and home again.

“And secondly, it was fascinating to find out just who’s underneath all those mascot costumes. I always wondered where old game show hosts ended up.”