Edinburgh Trams has announced its first ever commercial partnership with CR Smith.
The two-year deal will see 18 of Edinburgh Trams’ 27 fleet wrapped in a highly visual campaign that aims to promote a ‘Window to Scotland’ and the breadth of CR Smith’s customer base across the country.
The inaugural advertising deal was negotiated by a unique city partnership between Marketing Edinburgh, Transport for Edinburgh (TfE) and Edinburgh Trams, on behalf of City of Edinburgh Council.
Eighteen individual designs will be rolled out from today (9 August) on the tram network. From “Falkirk to Musselburgh”, “Glasgow to Peterhead” and “Dunfermline to Dundee”, CR Smith’s stunning artwork beautifully pairs iconic and surprising Scottish imagery that reflects not only the geographical spread of CR Smith’s customer base, but also celebrates Scotland’s soul and personality.
The first designs revealed include a Musselburgh racehorse racing alongside a Falkirk Kelpie, the oldest stone bridge in the highlands at Carrbridge, arching over the Forth Rail Bridge and Glasgow’s cone crowned Duke of Wellington with the white and orange striped lighthouse at Peterhead.
Over 5.6M customer journeys were recorded on the tram network last year, passing through some of the highest footfall areas of the city, including Princes Street, which has a footfall regularly topping 1.4M per month during busy summer months and December.
George Lowder, Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh said:
“This is a fantastic example of what partnership working between some of the Cities’ companies can achieve. It has been a great experience working with Marketing Edinburgh to secure CR Smith’s sponsorship.
“We look forward to a long commercial relationship with CR Smith and others who wish to advertise on Edinburgh’s trams. We have been using the trams since the start of the year to showcase some of the cities’ key events including rugby at Murrayfield, The Royal Highland Show and The International Festival. We look forward to wrapping the entire fleet.”
Gerard Eadie CBE, Executive Chairman of CR Smith said:
“CR Smith has always believed in leading from the front. This is a first. No one else has sponsored the Edinburgh Trams and it instantly gives us massive visibility.
“Over the past few years we have invested in our state of the art factory in Cowdenbeath, in our product range and in our people, through ongoing training and our own apprenticeship programme. This is a natural next step for our ongoing strategy for growth.”
Lea Harrison, Managing Director of Edinburgh Trams said:
"With around 7,000 services running through the city every month, our trams offer fantastic exposure to forward thinking businesses. Customer journeys, currently standing at over 5.6 million per year, are continuing to rise as the tram becomes an ever more popular transport option.”
"Event promotions on our trams, such as The Royal Highland Show, have already proved hugely successful and we're delighted to be expanding these commercial opportunities. The deal with an iconic brand such as CR Smith is a first and is a significant step in our promotional strategy.”