You don’t have to be a cyclist to ride a bike.
Client:
Transport for Greater Manchester
Project:
Life On 2 Wheels
Cycling came with an image: it was Lycra, expensive bikes and long rides; if you didn’t see yourself in that world, it was easy to decide cycling wasn’t for you.
Transport for Greater Manchester wanted to break down that perception and show cycling for what it could also be: an ordinary, useful way to get around.
That thinking became “I’m not a cyclist.”
It challenged that perception of cyclists, you don’t have to be a cyclist to ride your bike to work, university, the shops or anywhere you need to go. Instead of focusing on committed cycling enthusiasts, we found real people, who simply used their bikes as part of everyday life.
They didn’t necessarily call themselves cyclists. They were just people who happened to ride a bike.
By showing them doing everyday journeys, dressed regularly, not trying to break records or climb big hills, it challenged the idea that there was a particular type of person who belonged on a bike.
Rather than telling people why they should cycle, we showed the real reasons people already did. Focusing on the everyday use helped frame cycling as the perfect transport method.
It could save them time. Save them money. Give them some exercise. Or simply make getting around Greater Manchester easier.
Using real people made cycling feel familiar, attainable and, importantly, normal.
Supported by local press coverage and a website where members of the public could join in the conversation, we helped shift the conversation away from cycling as a specialist sport, towards cycling as an everyday form of transport.
Following the launch of the core campaign video, Transport for Greater Manchester saw a 43% increase in newsletter sign-ups, plus increased attendance at cycling courses.
By removing the need to become a “cyclist”, we helped more people see that getting on a bike could simply be another way to get from A to B.
Next Work
