Edinburgh Trams announces first commercial partnership

CR Smith have been announced as the first commercial partner. Picture; Jon Savage

Edinburgh Trams has announced its first ever commercial partner in CR Smith.

The two-year deal will see 18 of Edinburgh Trams’ 27 fleet wrapped in a highly visual campaign that aims to promote a ‘Window to Scotland’ and the breadth of CR Smith’s customer base across the country.

The inaugural advertising deal was negotiated by a city partnership between Marketing Edinburgh, Transport for Edinburgh (TfE) and Edinburgh Trams, on behalf of City of Edinburgh Council.

The partnership took ownership of managing external and internal tram advertising in July, securing the CR Smith contract within weeks.

Previous financial projections have suggested tram advertising could raise as much as £1.32 million per annum for the city.

Eighteen individual designs will be rolled out from today (9 August) on the tram network.

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The first designs revealed include a Musselburgh racehorse racing alongside a Falkirk Kelpie, the oldest stone bridge in the highlands at Carrbridge, arching over the Forth Rail Bridge and Glasgow’s cone crowned Duke of Wellington with the white and orange striped lighthouse at Peterhead.

The tram wraps are the first stage in CR Smith’s new Scotland-wide marketing campaign, which is set to put their classic ‘Man in the Blue and White Van’ messaging, first used by the company in 1980s, back into the heart of the brand positioning.

Over 5.6m customer journeys were recorded on the tram network last year.

2016 saw a 10% growth in patronage and 12% rise in fare revenues on the previous year, Edinburgh Trams was rated the No.1 transport provider in the UK by Transport Focus, scoring a record 99% overall customer satisfaction rating.

George Lowder, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh said: “This is a fantastic example of what partnership working between some of the Cities’ companies can achieve. It has been a great experience working with Marketing Edinburgh to secure CR Smith’s sponsorship.

“We look forward to a long commercial relationship with CR Smith and others who wish to advertise on Edinburgh’s trams. We have been using the trams since the start of the year to showcase some of the cities’ key events including rugby at Murrayfield, The Royal Highland Show and The International Festival. We look forward to wrapping the entire fleet.”

Gerard Eadie CBE, Executive Chairman of CR Smith said: “CR Smith has always believed in leading from the front. This is a first. No one else has sponsored the Edinburgh Trams and it instantly gives us massive visibility.

“Over the past few years we have invested in our state of the art factory in Cowdenbeath, in our product range and in our people, through ongoing training and our own apprenticeship programme. This is a natural next step for our ongoing strategy for growth.”

John Donnelly, Chief Executive of Marketing Edinburgh said: “The partnership between Marketing Edinburgh, TfE and Edinburgh Trams is a new and innovative approach to managing citywide advertising in Scotland. By having Key City Partners take responsibility for advertising negotiation on behalf of, and for Edinburgh, we are cutting out the middleman, ensuring 100% of all profits come directly back into the city.”

“With Edinburgh known as the Gateway to Scotland, the new creative by CR Smith, which celebrates our entire country’s iconic locations is the ideal fit for Edinburgh Trams, visually appealing directly to both our residents and visitors.” Lea Harrison, Managing Director of Edinburgh Trams said: “With around 7,000 services running through the city every month, our trams offer fantastic exposure to forward thinking businesses. Customer journeys, currently standing at over 5.6 million per year, are continuing to rise as the tram becomes an ever more popular transport option.”