RAAS LAB x McCann Media x East Midlands Railway: Inspiring More Journeys Through Relevance

East Midlands Railway (EMR) partnered with RAAS LAB and McCann to evolve display advertising into a more effective driver of customer growth and future travel demand. The objective was to move beyond traditional retargeting approaches and create advertising that could engage new audiences earlier in their decision-making journey.

RAAS LAB’s strategy focused on delivering more relevant advertising experiences by aligning messaging with the content consumers were actively engaging with online. Rather than serving generic display ads, campaigns dynamically adapted creative based on context, likely travel intent and audience mindset in real time. This allowed EMR to connect with consumers in moments linked to leisure planning, commuting, family travel and student journeys.

The campaign used a dynamic creative framework featuring tailored route and destination messaging that changed based on webpage content and user context. Creative executions reflected relevant destinations, attractions and travel occasions to make advertising feel more timely and useful to the consumer.

The partnership demonstrated how relevance-led advertising can help brands create demand, improve audience engagement and position display advertising as a scalable growth channel. The work also highlighted the value of close collaboration between media, creative and technology partners in delivering more meaningful consumer experiences.