Transport for London is launching a major campaign that aims to empower passengers to safely intervene when they witness hate crime, sexual harassment or offences on the network, while reinforcing the message that criminal behaviour has serious consequences.
“Act Like a Friend” has been devised with VCCP and WPP Media’s Wavemaker team, which developed the strategy and media planning.
This behaviour change initiative launches during National Hate Crime Awareness Week and shows Londoners ways to step in safely when they see someone being harassed or abused. Running alongside it is ‘Tackling Crime’, a complementary strand that reminds perpetrators that enforcement is active, visible, and effective.
At the heart of the ‘Act Like a Friend’ campaign is a powerful behavioural insight: in the moment, many Londoners want to help but are not always sure how to, with research showing that people often feel paralysed without a clear, simple action.
The campaign answers this with easy, intuitive ways bystanders can defuse the situation by supporting the victim, rather than confronting the perpetrator – whether that is pretending to already know the victim, starting up a friendly conversation with them, or simply asking them if they are okay.
By reframing bystander action as something as natural as “being a friend”, the campaign aims to create a safer space for travellers. This latest phase builds on TfL’s ongoing bystander intervention messaging first launched in 2022, which encourages Londoners to intervene when it is safe to do so.
WPP Media’s Wavemaker team played a central role in shaping and delivering this campaign, developing the overarching strategy and media planning to ensure the message resonated with Londoners in the right moments and spaces.
By managing both TfL’s extensive out-of-home estate and paid media, Wavemaker is creating a strong media presence across the transport network.
The 120″ film was directed by Edem Kelman, a film maker with a background in compelling human story-telling. He was brought onboard with the project, to do justice to the campaign’s real stories of Londoners ‘acting like a friend’.”
My Accomplice and VCCP’s content studio Girl&Bear led production across the film and cutdowns for digital, broadcast on video on demand and social.
The film is supported by a wider multichannel rollout, spanning digital out-of-home, out-of-home, online video, social and targeted activations. Partnerships with Crystal Palace FC, Fulham FC and Tottenham Hotspur will extend the message into local communities through contextually relevant prompts that will make the behaviour easy and achievable in the moment.
Out-of-home executions also showcase three additional true bystander stories, using the same conversation starters Londoners shared in real incidents to show support to fellow passengers.
TfL head of customer marketing and behaviour change Miranda Leedham said: “We know that Londoners want to help when they see someone being harassed or abused. This campaign gives them a simple, effective way to do just that – by acting like a friend.
“Alongside this, we’re reminding everyone that criminal behaviour on our network will lead to real consequences. Together, we can make London’s transport safer and more inclusive for all.”
Running in parallel is ‘Tackling Crime’, an evolution of TfL’s earlier ‘Staff Abuse Has Consequences’. It highlights real cases of crime on the network and the resulting prosecutions – a clear reminder that offences carry consequences.
This campaign supports TfL’s wider strategy to improve safety across the network, which includes enhanced station lighting and CCTV, active enforcement in partnership with the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police, and ongoing collaboration with community and advocacy groups.
To mark National Hate Crime Awareness Week, TfL is also partnering with Protection Approaches – a national charity working to prevent identity-based violence and to deliver more free active bystander training session for the public, funded by Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime’s Shared Endeavour Fund.
Throughout the week, TfL will also host a series of hate crime awareness events across the network, including at Edmonton and Stratford bus stations, and Euston and Waterloo railway stations. The work strikes a balance between showing TfL’s role in enforcement and encouraging Londoners to play theirs.
VCCP creative director Zoë Stock commented: “This campaign taps into something most Londoners can relate to: wanting to help but not knowing how in the moment. We needed to give people a behaviour that is simple, safe, but most importantly natural. Sharing real ways other Londoners have ‘acted like a friend’ reminds us that we all have the capacity to do the right thing – if we’re equipped with the right knowledge.”
Wavemaker UK client managing partner Oliver Halliwell added: “We’re proud to have partnered with TfL on such an important campaign. Advertising has the power to drive positive change, and this campaign brings powerful stories from real Londoners to life to encourage us all to support one another and stand up to hate crime when safe to do so. It’s an important call to action from TfL, empowering people to act and helping make the transport network, and our city, a safer place for everyone.”
The campaign will run across cinema, digital, social and out-of-home channels until November 24.
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