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Travel & Tourism
Caledonian MacBrayne
How Scotland's ferry operator turned real travellers' photos and stories into a 100% UGC-led campaign, national Gold, and £250K in new revenue.
About
Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) is Scotland's main ferry operator, carrying millions of travellers a year between the mainland and over 30 island communities across the Clyde and Hebrides.
The Challenge
CalMac wanted to build a brand campaign told through the voices and experiences of real travellers. That meant a reliable way to collect authentic photos and stories at scale, clear the permissions and licensing, and put the content to work, without the piecemeal, source-by-source effort it took before.
The Solution
With TrueLoyal, travellers submit their own photos, videos, and stories through branded competition entries, with permissions and licensing captured at the point of entry. Approved content then flows out across the whole campaign, so the same image a passenger shared can run on social, in email, in press, out of home, and in the TV advert. The result was a 100% UGC-led campaign, produced faster and built entirely on authentic content.
The Result
The 100% UGC-led campaign took the first-ever Gold in the new UGC category at the Performance Marketing Awards, and exceeded every commercial and media target.
£250K
additional revenue attributed to the campaign
+7.2%
leisure bookings vs. the year before
12.3:1
return on ad spend across Meta
By showcasing real moments from real travellers, we're able to tell more relatable stories and create a stronger emotional connection with our audience. This has been transformational for our brand, helping us attract new customers and inspire more people to take their own trips.
Julia McIntyre
Brand Campaign Manager, Caledonian MacBrayne