Thompson Spencer creates tangible moments for Auckland Transport’s City Rail Link

Auckland Transport and Thompson Spencer have progressed to the next phase of their City Rail Link campaign by helping Aucklanders see how they will use it in everday life.

As most people in Tāmaki Makaurau will know, the City Rail Link project has been long in the making. The campaign announcing the beginning of the project was launched in 2016, and was fronted by former All Black Jerome Kaino.

The CRL will see downtown train station Waitematā converted from a terminus to a through station, meaning trains will be able to travel both ways. It will also increase network capacity and reduce travel times across the city.

And while the City Rail Link’s opening is still yet to be announced – the official website says “the second half of 2026” – AT and Thompson Spencer’s new campaign aims to make new train service feel tangible and personal.

“The first phase of the campaign helped people understand how the City Rail Link changes the network. This phase makes it vivid – naming the real places, the real journeys and the real moments waiting on the other side of the trip,” says AT marketing manager Rena Murphy.

“The campaign helps Aucklanders picture how the CRL will become a welcome part of everyday life, whether that means getting to and from work more easily, spending more time with friends or heading to an event.”

The journeys people want to take

With the CRL aiming to make it easier and simpler for Aucklanders to get around the city, the evolved campaign acknowledges that this isn’t just an infrastructure upgrade, it’s a time gift that enables people to spend more time doing the things they want to do and less time travelling.

The campaign builds on existing creative with fresh takes on the original executions, and introduces a brand new one: ‘Streaming to screaming’.

The latter which demonstrates how the CRL will make major events more accessible via a passionate Blues supporter, who swaps watching the game from his lounge for cheering from the stands at Eden Park.

“The creative evolution of the campaign is about helping people picture themselves using the CRL,” says Thompson Spencer creative director Matt Eastwood. “Once people understand where the network goes, the natural next question becomes what does that mean for them. That’s what this campaign answers. These are the journeys people will be taking, and want to be taking.”

The new phase of the campaign runs from June 22 across social media, video on demand (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and TVNZ+), radio, and out of home. Six radio executions cover different journeys and travel times, and out-of-home placements align with the routes featured in the campaign.