Rail firm Eurostar has revealed a refreshed brand and new loyalty campaign following its merger with Belgian high-speed rail operator Thalys. 

The deal, which brings Thalys under the Eurostar name, means the rail network now spans five countries and 28 destinations. 

As a combined business, the new company aims to carry 30 million passengers a year by 2030.

Under its new line ‘Together we go further’, the rebrand includes a new website, app and loyalty programme.

The rebrand took effect from 1 October, with a new ad campaign running across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany from 16 October. 

Club Eurostar is the new tiered loyalty programme, which brings together existing Eurostar members and passengers from MyThalysWorld.

The programme already has 2.5 million members, and is said to have been designed to be “generous”.

Passengers progress up four statuses collecting points with spend: Classique (0 to 499 points), Avantage (500 to 2899 points), Carte Blanche (2900 to 4999 points) and Etoile (over 5000 points). 

Members earn 1 point for every 1 euro or US dollar, and 1.2 points for every British pound. 

It retains features such as no hidden fees, no deadlines, and no taxes. 

New Eurostar campaign

The rebrand brings with it a sustainability-focused campaign which spans a film and out of home advertising. 

A star-based logo, or ‘Spark’, is the new focal point, alluding to the North Star, the original train service linking Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. 

The sparkling animated graphic acts as a compass, embodying the brand’s ambitions, and references the first Eurostar logo.

Taken with ‘Together we go further’, the rebrand is said to underscore the customer promise to literally take customers further across the new network. 

Eurostar’s accompanying visuals and ad are described as a “bold, colourful animated universe”. 

Created by adam&eveDDB and DDB Paris, the visuals are in-line with the company’s key attributes: European, inclusive, unique and sustainable.

A 60-second spot, developed in collaboration with Riff Raff and The Mill, depicts two women meeting on-board Eurostar. They are transported into a travel world, taking in five cities. 

Out of home and digital advertising also feature the two characters. 

Through a blend of live action and animation, Eurostar invites customers to imagine their own travel experiences. The spark motif is used throughout to establish the link between real and imaginary worlds, and between Eurostar and its customers. Ten local artists were commissioned to bring various visuals in the animation to life. 

‘Writing a new page’ in rail history

“Today, with our teams and for our customers, we are writing a new page in the history of high-speed rail travel in Europe,” said Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar CEO. 

“With Eurostar, our customers will have Europe at their fingertips. Our ambition is clear: more Europe for a unique and sustainable travel experience.”

François Le Doze, Chief Commercial Officer at Eurostar, added: “Travel inspires us and renews our sense of creativity, which we wanted to bring to life in our new campaign. 

“We wanted to create the feeling of excitement customers feel when they are about to embark on a journey to discover Europe. 

“We have packed the commercial and OOH ads with hidden details for the public to enjoy and discover the more they revisit, in the same way we explore our destinations.”

Richard Brim, Chief Creative Officer at adam&eveDDB, commented: “Travelling with Eurostar is always exciting – a way to open your eyes to new experiences and vibrant cultures. 

“Our new campaign ‘Together we go further’ visualises that excitement in a really engaging way – fusing real-life imagery with creative illustrations and animations that bring to life the unique character of the individual locations and of the brand as a whole.”.

Eurostar is owned by SNCF Voyages Développement (55.75%), CDPQ (19.31%), SNCB (18.50%) and Federated Hermes Infrastructure (6.44%). In 2022 it carried 14.8 million passengers, generating sales of €1,532 million. 

Separately, in 2021, the French government announced that it would permit duty free sales at the French Eurotunnel terminal.

The Channel Tunnel and its cross-border terminals are operated by Getlink, which runs the Le Shuttle service between Folkestone and Calais for passenger vehicles and freight services.

Getlink customer Eurostar is an entirely separate entity, running high-speed passenger services through the Channel Tunnel between London and a number of European cities on the Continent.