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Apr 2025
36m 18s

Retrain Travel: Reimagining the Rail Exp...

ADWEEK
About this episode

What if you could transform a legacy transportation brand into a modern hospitality experience? In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jenny Rooney sits down with Eliot Hamlisch, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Amtrak, to explore their bold new "Retrain Travel" campaign, strategic shift toward younger audiences, and innovative brand partnerships. Whether you're leading a heritage brand's transformation or seeking to balance government oversight with commercial success, this conversation offers valuable insights into modernizing customer experience while honoring established brand equity. Tune in to discover how Amtrak is reimagining train travel for the next generation through enhanced amenities, sustainability initiatives, and experiential marketing.


Amtrak's transformation from a transportation company to a hospitality brand showcases how legacy organizations can reimagine their customer experience and market positioning.


In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jenny Rooney speaks with Eliot Hamlisch, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Amtrak, about the company's strategic shift to experiential travel, their new "Retrain Travel" campaign, and how they're modernizing the 50-year-old brand for a new generation of travelers.


What You'll Learn:

  • How to transform a legacy transportation brand into a modern hospitality experience
  • Why balancing awareness and lower-funnel marketing is crucial for attracting new customer segments
  • The strategic approach to selecting and empowering agency partners to push creative boundaries
  • How to leverage brand collaborations and partnerships to enhance customer experience
  • Why investing in physical product innovation (like the next-gen Acela) is crucial for brand transformation
  • How to position sustainable travel options without exploiting competitors' challenges
  • The framework for integrating AI into customer service while maintaining human-centric experiences
  • How to balance government oversight with commercial innovation in a public-private organization


Unlocking the Creator Economy with Awin


Did you know influencer marketing drives twice as many sales as display advertising, with a 37% higher retention rate?


Awin helps brands harness this potential with tailored influencer management solutions that drive measurable results. Whether you're looking to grow your creator roster, foster long-term relationships, or track full-funnel performance, Awin’s expertise and platform integrations make it easy to scale campaigns and optimize impact.


With partnerships across CreatorIQ, LTK, ShopMy, and more, brands gain access to powerful discovery tools and seamless tracking capabilities, ensuring transparency and efficiency at every stage.


Here’s how brands can maximize their influencer marketing:

  • Find the right creators – Access a diverse network of influencers, even in niche markets.
  • Track performance with full transparency – Measure impact from awareness to conversions in real time.
  • Incentivize influencers effectively – Commission-based rewards through affiliate links and coupon codes keep creators engaged.
  • Blend influencer & affiliate marketing seamlessly – Awin’s integrations create a streamlined, results-driven approach


Unlock the full potential of influencer marketing. Visit awin.link/adweek to start building high-impact partnerships today!



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