Smart to the city - campaign focuses on cycling, public transport and smart choices

A vibrant city centre starts with good accessibility. That is why Eindhoven has started a multi-year city centre campaign. This entices visitors to travel differently. More cycling and more public transport – that is the goal. The campaign is part of the City Centre Deal. In this deal, the municipality, entrepreneurs and partners such as Brainport Bereikbaar work together on a liveable and hospitable city centre.

Eindhoven groeit. En snel ook. De stad wordt drukker, levendiger en voller. Hoe zorg je dat iedereen prettig de stad in kan – zonder filefrustraties, parkeerdruk en schadelijke uitstoot? Dat is waar Brainport Bereikbaar aan werkt, legt strategisch marketingadviseur Kirsten de Vos uit. ‘We zetten er als regionaal mobiliteitsprogramma veel voor in om mensen over te halen anders reizen. Denk maar aan e-bikeprobeeracties, de pop-up fietsenstallingen, de PSV Direct. De binnenstadscampagne hoort daarbij. We werken erin samen met onder andere de gemeente en Eindhoven365, het citymarketingbureau van Eindhoven.’

Smart slogans, cool deals

The campaign focuses on behavioral change with inspiring benefits and creative incentives. Kirsten: 'Think of smart slogans like: “By train to Eindhoven? Then you have 3.8 times more shopping time!” With these crazy figures we get people thinking. What do I gain if I take the bike or public transport?' Senna Heijnen, Project Officer Target Group Approach adds: 'To stimulate people even more, we made cool deals with entrepreneurs in the city centre. Think of the PSV Fanstore, Churros Best in town, and Pathé. For example, people received a food & beverage voucher if they had a ticket from the P+R.'

From Black Friday to Epiphany

The first campaign period ran from Black Friday 2024 to early January 2025 and focused on six surrounding villages. Residents received a recognizable message via bus shelters, weekly magazines and social media: smarter travel pays off. 'Because we focused on specific places, we will soon be able to measure whether it had an effect,' says Kirsten. 'The first reactions on social media are enthusiastic. The report with public transport boarding times is still being worked on. That will show us whether more people actually opted for public transport.'

Spring = cycling campaign

A new campaign with the bicycle as the main character will start in April. This time, the focus is on people who already cycle occasionally. 'Our main goal is to get these people to cycle more often and more. As ambassadors, they can then contribute to a positive snowball effect,' says Senna. This time, the target group is the weekend visitors to the city. Kirsten: 'Thanks to our collaboration with Scheepens, we can advertise very specifically based on location and behaviour. For example, we know when we can best reach cyclists from Best with an online banner or poster along the access road.'

Recognizable style, increasingly smarter

The campaign will return for another 3.5 years, always in the spring and autumn. 'The expressions of the various campaigns for the city centre are recognisable because we work with one clear style. But of course we are constantly optimising the campaign based on data and experiences,' says Kirsten. Senna: 'For example, we want to involve the entrepreneurs even earlier in the next edition, for example with a media toolkit. Together we will achieve better accessibility.'