NETWORK RAIL.Shining a light on the railway’s Hidden Heroes.
Skills used: creative strategy, concept development, visual design, storyboarding, photography art direction, production preparation and coordination, collaboration with operational teams
Outcomes:
Delivered 50.7 million impressions across Network Rail channels
Increased positive sentiment among passengers by 27% (uplift of +15%)
87% of viewers agreed the campaign showed Network Rail cares about passengers
Strong engagement from younger audiences, in particular 18–24 and 25–34
Context:
Hidden Heroes was created to shift public perception of Network Rail by focusing on the people behind performance, delivery and safety. Network Rail is often associated only with delays or disruption, while the day-to-day work required to keep trains running on time is mostly invisible. The aim was to highlight the colleagues whose roles directly enable punctuality, problem solving and passenger safety, and to bring their contributions into the public eye.
We focused on four real colleagues whose jobs reflect the unseen work that keeps the network moving. The campaign needed to make this activity visible, understandable and human.
I helped shape the creative idea and develop a clear visual and emotional language for the campaign.
A deliberate use of controlled hyperbole was built into the concept. We gave each colleague a simple, elevated “hero” title and presented them in photography that felt statuesque and impressive. This wasn’t about exaggeration but about shifting perspective, giving everyday operational roles the same visual weight usually given to super-heroes to help the public recognise the skill and commitment involved.
To meet extremely tight time-frames, the Creative Director and I worked in tandem — splitting locations and schedules to cover both the stills and film shoots simultaneously. I worked closely with Network Rail’s internal film team and our photographer in the pre and post-production stages and art directed the photo shoots across multiple locations.
The films told the stories of real Network Rail staff through a cinematic lens – short, documentary-style pieces that celebrated the people behind the uniform. Each story was designed to feel intimate yet heroic, revealing the dedication, pride and humanity that keeps the railway running. I created a detailed production pack used by internal teams and external collaborators, ensuring locations, sequences and visual requirements were clear.
The campaign launched with a live event at London Waterloo Station. Alongside the films and posters, portrait artists created one-off artworks of the featured colleagues in front of commuters, with canvases the public could paint on too. Bringing the campaign into a public space and encouraging direct connection between passengers and the people who keep the railway running.
The portraits were later displayed across Network Rail sites and travelled the country as part of the Railway 200 celebrations.
Outcome:
The campaign delivered strong results across Network Rail channels:
50.7 million impressions
a 27 percent increase in positive passenger recall
87 percent of people who saw the campaign agreed that Network Rail cares about its passengers
particularly strong engagement from younger audiences, especially ages 18–24 and 25–34
Overall, the work improved public perception, made essential roles more visible and provided Network Rail with a character-led format they can continue to build on.