The brand platform, The Interrail Effect, was co-created by creative agency WE ARE Pi and social agency Butterfly Effect to unify Interrail and Eurail. It is WE ARE Pi's first work for Interrail since being appointed brand and creative agency in April, says the company.

Until now, Interrail B.V. has had two brands for the same rail Pass product. Interrail for people living in Europe and Eurail for people outside. From now, the Eurail Pass will be rebranded Interrail — aimed at creating a unified brand and Pass for the company's global community of travellers. The move follows the business changing its name from Eurail B.V. to Interrail B.V. earlier this year.

An Interrail Pass aims to give travellers freedom to explore the world by train — the Interrail Global Pass, for example, can be used for travel by train in up to 33 countries. 'The Interrail Effect' was inspired by the cultural insight that the positive friction of Interrail train travel is a big part of what makes it a unique and memorable adventure., says the company.

This was underlined by an Interrail customer survey conducted earlier this year. Around 70% of Interrail customers said their trip changed how they see the world, a similar proportion considered the experiences more impactful than other types of holidays and roughly a quarter considered it much more impactful than other holidays, the survey found, adds the company.

Interrail says that these insights pointed to a clear opportunity for it to position itself as an antidote to the emptiness of check-list tourism, aiming to show what generations of travellers have known for nearly 70 years: sometimes the journey is the best part.

To launch the new platform, WE ARE Pi and Butterfly Effect have also developed a creator and community-first campaign involving 30 creators who were enlisted to travel across Europe, aiming to share the experience and impact of rail travel with Interrail this summer — a marked departure from travel category convention, says the company.

Participating creators spanned a broad spectrum of ages, backgrounds and travel styles — from solo to group and family — and also included first-time and seasoned travellers from the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. The unfiltered footage, diary-style moments and personal reflections they captured were then shaped into the campaign materials and social assets, adds the company.

The series of short films that resulted aims to showcase what happens when you go deeper: the conversations with strangers, new friendships, scenery that might otherwise have been missed — and the occasional missed connections that become the most memorable part of the trip.

The launch film, Between Here and There, features the Neapolitan song Funiculì, Funiculà, which was composed in 1880 by Luigi Denza with lyrics by Peppino Turco to celebrate the opening of the first cable railway (funicular) on Mount Vesuvius — Interrail says this is a fitting nod to its position in the European rail network. 

The Interrail Effect also aims to mark the evolution of the company from a rail Pass provider into a champion of the life-changing power of travel. Interrail says that this will now shape all future Interrail campaigns, partnerships, content, community initiatives and customer experiences.

The campaign launches globally from September 10th in the UK, Australia and the US, rolling out across a mix of paid, owned and earned channels including paid media, organic social, EDM, partnerships and PR as well as participating creators' own Instagram, TikTok and other socials. 

Following the launch, all creator activity will sit under one unified creative platform with creators continuing to help build and evolve The Interrail Effect. Future work will aim to tap into cultural moments, fresh voices and expressions and authentic storytellers to demonstrate both the breadth of Interrail and the transformative experiences it makes possible, says the company.

"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," says Özlem Birkalan, Chief Brand and Commercial Officer at Interrail.

"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," concludes Rick Chant, ECD at WE ARE Pi.

For more information, visit www.interrail.com. You can also follow Interrail B.V on Facebook, X, or on Instagram.

*Image courtesy of contributor