8 buildings blocks of

successful influence strategies

Benoit Colin, EMBARQ at WRI

Rush hour, Ottawa Photo: Peter Blanchard

8 building blocks of successful influence strategies   Benoit Colin  

Photo: Tal Bright

Branding

Influence strategies

Photo: Aureliozen

Marketing

Photo: puma_nl

Influence strategies

Communications

Photo: André-Batista

Influence strategies

Attract Retain Secure

Photo: Krynowek Eine

WHY influence strategies?

Attract

Photo: Santinha - Casas Possíveis

Retain

Photo: Caribb

Secure

Photo: Mexican Federal Government

Photo: Christian

8 building blocks

•  Brand and identity •  Internal communications •  User education •  User information systems

•  Marketing campaigns •  Public relations and

external communications •  User feedback systems •  Online engagement

Brand and identity

Photo: Diebmx

1)  

“A brand is not a logo. A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company”. -Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Gap

Photo: Meena Kadri

Typeface

Values

Logo Identity system

Color scheme

Vehicle design

Station design Photo: Meena Kadri

Brand and identity

Typeface

Values

Logo Identity system

Color scheme

Vehicle design

Station design Photo: Meena Kadri

Brand and identity

Brand and identity

Photo: Diebmx

Build a strong brand

- Choose to stand out - Appeal to your passengers - Stay on brand

Internal communications

2)  

“Our 290,000 team members “are” FedEx. They are the brand”. -Gayle Christensen, managing director of brand, FedEx

Internal communications

- Training manuals - Employee survey - Strategic plan

- Town hall meetings - Idea box

Internal communications Sell your values

- Communicate up - Put your best face forward

User education

Photo: Fastcoexist

3)  

“When we surveyed potential riders of the new Orange line they weren’t

quite sure what it was. A train? A bus with stations? A

different fare structure?”

-Michael Lejeune, creative director, Los Angeles Metro

Photo: David Agalvan

User education

Photo: Fastcoexist

- Information kiosks - Station ambassadors - Outreach in schools

- Trial periods - Local news segments

User education

Photo: Fastcoexist

- Make your system familiar - Answer the right questions: who, what, where, when, how, why - Learn from rail - Open it up to the public - Target your audiences

Get started early

User information

Photo: Peter Gerdes

4)  

“Public transport can add real value to the city by being better integrated

within its wider context”.

-Transport for London “Interchange Best Practice Guidelines”

Photo: Krynowek Eine

User information

Photo: Peter Gerdes

- Diagrams and maps - Station markers - Schedules - Fare and ticketing

- Information kiosks - Audible anouncements - Wayfinding signage - Real-time arrival information

Photo: Peter Gerdes

- Efficiency, usability, understandability, quality - Think outside the system - Maintain the brand - Keep it simple… but informative

User information Systematize your information

Marketing campaigns

Photo: ritwikdey

5)  

“Travelers’ perception of public transport systems must be thoroughly comprehended by marketing so that a public transport system can be successful”. -C.H. Wei and C.Y. Kao, “Measuring Traveler Involvement in Urban Public Transport Systems”

Photo: Pamm…

Marketing campaigns

Photo: ritwikdey

- TV/radio ads - Billboards - Bus ads - Kiosks at events

- Stickers and postcards in local stores - Free service prior to launch - Internet campaigns - Novelty items (t-shirts, bags, etc.)

Marketing campaigns Know what riders want - Reliability, frequent service, safety & cleanliness, service hours, cost & savings - Not a substitute for high-quality service - “Fit for audience” message - Promote something that actually exists

Photo: Meena Kadri

6) Public relations and external communications

Photo: ritwikdey

“Government entities are often afraid of media and tend not to communicate with them, taking a “duck and hide” mentality. With VIVA, we had a person whose only job was to feed the media stories about the project”. -Alina Kelly president, Akelly Consulting, Inc., consultant to VIVA, York region, Canada.

Public relations and external communications

Photo: ritwikdey

- Press kits - Mailings lists - Media interviews

- Outreach at events - Construction updates

Public relations and external communications

Photo: ritwikdey

- Develop relationship with media - Get endorsements, celebrate - Anticipate and avoid criticism

- Tailor the story - Organize tours - Manage expectations

Control the narrative

7) User feedback systems

Photo: Indiana Public Media

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of

learning”.

-Bill Gates

Photo: Adam BRI Smith

Photo: Adam BRI Smith

User feedback systems

- Call center - Comment cards - SMS service - Online contact (email, web, app, social media, electronic kiosks)

Photo: Adam BRI Smith

User feedback systems

- Let riders try it out - Let users communicate feedback, both good and bad

Be responsive to riders

8) Online engagement

Photo: John Fera

Canadians rank first in the world when it comes

to Internet usage.

TechVibes, 2013.

Photo: Gualtiero

Online engagement

Photo: John Fera

- Passenger-friendly website - Facebook - Twitter

- Mobile/SMS tools - Mobile site - Smartphone app

Online engagement

Photo: John Fera

- Reach users before they arrive - Keep your fingers on the pulse - Go social

- Be proactive! - Open your data - Go mobile

Main ways to access information

Photo: Christian

8 building blocks

•  Brand and identity •  Internal communications •  User education •  User information systems

•  Marketing campaigns •  Public relations and

external communications •  User feedback systems •  Online engagement

Questions?

8 building

blocks

No silos

Coordinate the 8 building blocks  

Photo: Meena Kadri

STAY IN TOUCH   Benoit Colin Marketing and Communications EMBARQ at the World Resources Institute benoit.colin@wri.org EMBARQ.org TheCityFix.com

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