Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood

Marketing & Branding

Unit 8: Improving Transit Quality

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood

Outline

• BRT Branding

• Social media

• Transit image

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How do we sell cars?

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How do you perceive transit?

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BRT “BRANDING”Promotion in bus rapid transit goes beyond marketing

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Role of Branding in BRT

• Clearly differentiated transit service

• Enhanced outreach efforts• Increased customer loyalty• Improved employee

satisfaction and retention• Increased brand value• Potential for attracting

development activity

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood

Characteristics of Branding

• Marketing Classification of BRT Service– How BRT fits within the rest of a transit system

• Branding Devices– Attributes or identifiers that customers associate

with a product

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Marketing Classifications

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Branding Devices

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BRT Branding Tactics

• Name of service and lines • Color schemes, graphics and logos • Elements of the BRT system • Operating features and performance • Customer information such as signage, maps

and schedules • Publications, media, public relations and

marketing information • Employee selection and training

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• Rear Window• Multiple Doors• Circulation• Seat Comfort• Fast Securement

• Interior Finish• Large Windows• Luggage Racks• Information• Grab Bars

High-Comfort, Amenities

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New Flyer Invero i40 LF

Irisbus Civis

StandardArtic

Stylized Artic

Specialized

Stylized Std

New Flyer Hybrid Electric 60DLF-BRT

NABI 42-BRT

Gillig 40 BRT

NABI CNG 60 BRT

Survey Said: “Sleek, Modern Image; Quiet; Safe”

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Case Study : Eugene’s Green Line EmX

• 4 miles (60% exclusive RoW)• $23.5 million project, • Opened January 2007• 46% ridership increase• 6 hybrid advance-design NFI artics • Branded as “new spine”

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Case study: Las Vegas

• Service features:– Hi-tech French made Civis– 5 mi exclusive lane– Distinctive stations– 12-20 min. headways, 17

hr./day– Same fare, but pre-paid

• Image and brand essential in land of glitz

• Huge success, at least 3 more corridors planned

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood

LA Metro Rapid: Incremental BRT

• Simple route layout: easy to find/use

• Frequent: 3-10 minutes during peak

• Fewer stops: ¾ mile apart• Level boarding (LF buses speed-

up dwell times• Enhanced stations: maps,

lighting, canopies, “Next Bus” displays

• Same fare• Minimal investment:

– Signal priority– Passenger information– Strong branding (buses,

stations etc.)

Results after demonstration:•23-29% reduction in travel times•38-42% increase in riders/weekday•1/3 of total choice riders, Same cost

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Branding Summary

• Most successful systems have strong branding• Largest System Performance Impacts:

– Capacity (Vehicles + Frequency + Route Speed) – Speed and Acceleration– Reliability/On Time Performance

• Largest System Design Impacts– Branding– Vehicle Styling– Cleanliness/Maintenance/Advertising Policy– Driver/Customer Service Courtesy

• The Brand Invites ’Em, But Performance Keeps ’Em

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SOCIAL MEDIAThe evolution of information and promotion

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Social Media Connections

• Agencies interact directly with their consumers (previously used press as intermediary)

• Enables agencies to tell story with words and images

• Communicate at lightning speed, often responding to request or providing emergency information in a minutes

• Multitude of transit agencies use

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood

Social Media Platforms

• Each social media platform has particular strengths and reaches different audiences:– Microblogging

• Twitter, Tumbler – Short, focused, and time-sensitive updates

– Networking • Social (Facebook, Google+) – User engagement through conversations and sharing• Professional (LinkedIn, GovLoop) – Connections to stakeholders and employees

– Media- and document-sharing • YouTube – Entertaining and/or instructional videos• Flickr – Photos of agency news and events to share with the public and the media

– Social curation • Pinterest and Storify - Consolidation of posts to tell a story about an event

– Blogs• Longer and more detailed updates about agency policies and events

– Geolocation applications• Foursquare – Check-ins to share information or discounts, gather data

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood

Uses of Social Media

• Marketing– Promote activities– Tell people what agency does - how they spend public funds and make policy

decisions – Reach out to citizens for feedback on projects

• Community activism– Mobilize citizens around issues that matter to them

• Planning– Widen reach of agency and include those who cannot attend public meetings– Brings younger residents who may not otherwise attend meetings into the

fold

• Real-time communications and emergency management– Send alerts about major issues– Communicate with partner agencies

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Marketing

• 4 E’s of social marketing – Entice customers to

participate– Exchange information – Engage them in a social

media dialogue– Experience that leaves an

overall impression

• Contests and promotions to engage customers

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Future of Social Media

• Social media allows agencies to tap into large numbers of participants for techniques such as:– Citizen science – People working as sensors to relay

information– Crowdsourcing – People working together to

identify the assets and issues in the system– Participatory sensing – Mobile phones as

instrumentation or sensors– Survey research - promote survey opportunities,

test survey questions, and supplement traditional surveys

– Data mining - Status updates, media sharing, and geo-located check-ins can be used to understand people’s behavior, choices and opinions. • Visualize urban dynamics• Understand activity participation, location choice,• Sentiment analysis

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TRANSIT’S IMAGEThe bigger picture comes down to improving

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2003 GM ad in Vancouver

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2011 GM ad

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How would you advertise transit?

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God Created Transit

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6neVqNfmW7U

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Conclusion

• BRT has been branded as a “premium” service to attract choice riders.

• Social media allows agencies to communicate directly with passengers and establish a trust relationship.

• Perception of transit comes down to how it is (or currently how it is not) marketed

Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood

Reference

The materials in this lecture were taken from:• Cliff Henke, PB TR&S, Inc. from APTA Bus

Conference 2007• Bregman and Watkins, “Best Practices for

Transportation Agency Use of Social Media” CRC Press, 2013