WeRoad, the adventure travel brand bringing solo travellers together for once-in-a-lifetime adventures, continues its Manchester-focused out-of-home (OOH) with a ‘get outdoors’ inspired campaign displayed across a giant billboard overlooking Piccadilly Gardens.
Through two different concepts, WeRoad is bringing its signature witty copy to appeal to its target demographic. The first uses UGC content showcasing real customers to inspire travellers to embrace adventurous group exploration with new-found friends, while their second and larger campaign challenges people to spend more time outdoors this year.
Since WeRoad’s successful UK launch in 2022, the company has created several OOH campaigns in the UK. This will be its second and largest campaign in Manchester, running from June 3 until 16, and created in collaboration with creative agency DUDE London.
WeRoad is taking over the 492msq giant billboard in Manchester Piccadilly cheekily announcing that ‘This ad may spend more time outdoors than you this year’ accompanied by a statistic saying that ‘we spend an average of 10 days outdoors a year’ while encouraging the public to ‘beat this billboard’ since the ad will be up for 14 days.
This activation is the first in an ongoing collaboration between DUDE and WeRoad in the UK.
In addition, the brand’s second eye-catching Once in a Lifetime Adventures OOH advertising campaign will dominate 304 high-visibility locations across the city including bus stops, tram stops, pedestrian walks, roads, and train stations in a combination of static and digital formats; 4 sheet, 6 sheet, 6 digital sheet, and 48 sheet.
The high-impact, citywide marketing blitz cements WeRoad as a major force in the UK travel market after last year’s major London campaign. As the disruptive travel brand scales across Europe, the campaign celebrates WeRoad’s community of thrill-seeking explorers. The vibrant OOH ads showcase the cool user-generated photos from WeRoad’s small-group trips around the globe.
Selfie-style shots immerse viewers in destinations like the Pyramids of Giza, the jungles of Sri Lanka, the peaks of Patagonia, and the Sahara Desert. Playful taglines like ‘Ever hiked through the land of fire?’ and ‘Ever travelled through time?’ culminate with the call-to-action: Have you ever done a WeRoad?
WeRoad CMO Fabio Bin says, “WeRoad is about getting out and making new connections and new friends IRL (in real life). That’s why we chose Manchester, a vibrant city to communicate our way of travelling and making new friends. In the last few months, we have shown people travelling with us in all the corners of the world via a UGC, OOH campaign featuring real WeRoaders in real situations.
“However, we are more than just a travel company, we are in the business of making connections. We’re running and sponsoring events, gigs, and meetups throughout the city, where people can meet new people. It’s what happens on our tours: travellers don’t only discover the beauty of a new country, and have amazing experiences, but also return with a bunch of new friends. With this billboard we want to recall that real life is out there: nothing happens if we stay in our comfort zone, nothing happens if we don’t embrace the world. We are saying: Go out. Go out of your homes, out of your country, out of your comfort zone, and embrace the word. The magic will happen then.”
Curro Piqueras, executive creative director at DUDE, added: “Please don’t let this billboard win. Yes, it might be a giant 492msq billboard. But you have hands and fingers, with fingertips that, if used in a precise choreography, can be used to book a WeRoad trip and get out of here. A billboard cannot kayak, discover new food, or make new billboard friends along the way. You are very close to winning, which might be your life’s easiest and biggest win. Beat that billboard. We believe in you.”
Beyond OOH ads, the Once in a Lifetime Adventures push includes:
- WeRoad’s own signature events “WeMeets” in local bars and pubs across the city.
- Surprise intimate music concerts in partnership with global music community Sofar Sounds
- Summer events in collaboration with Feel Good Club, *The* LGBTQ+ venue in the city
- A ‘WeRoad takeover’ at Kampus, one of the coolest hang-out spaces in the city for the summer with live music, activations, drinks and entertainment.
