Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign for the Greater Cleveland Regional

Transit Authority

By: Brad BielakCarys Behn

Mike MarsicoMaria LazarisKevin Chmura

Submitted April 24, 2012

Situation Analysis

COMPANY BACKGROUND

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is a public transportation

system. They offer services that include the use of buses, trolleys, and trains or rapids for

transportation. Their services are easy to use and affordable for public use. One of their

important policies includes diversity and inclusion. They are committed to promote diversity

within the company to allow for a variety of culture, opinions and experience to help the

organization. Another policy involves sustainability and states the RTA “is committed to

protecting the environment as it provides public transit services to northeast Ohio. We will

provide sound business practices that integrate sustainable principles throughout every level of

operation to create a healthier and livable environment for our customers and the community we

serve” (riderta.com).

RTA is an organization that is structured as a political division as was created

under Chapter 306 of the Ohio Revised Code. The board of trustees is charged with managing

and conducting RTA’s affairs as well as establishing overall RTA administrative policies, which

are implemented by the General Manager. Four documents establish the parameters for the

governance of RTA, as well as the powers, responsibilities and duties of RTA, its Board of

Trustees, officers, management and employees.

Due to the increase in jobs in Cleveland along with rising gas prices in the area, ridership

on the RTA has been increasing over the past year. There were 4.3 million rides in March, a

5.3% increase over March 2011. This continues a trend where ridership has increased each

month for 12 months in a row (Breckenridge).

This IMC campaign will center on getting more Cleveland State University students to

use the Cleveland RTA system. Every semester each CSU student is charged $25 for an RTA U-

Pass, which allows the student to use any of the many RTA transports free of charge. This is a

large discount, but unfortunately less than 50% of students actually pick up their U-Pass. The

Cleveland RTA is spending much money in an attempt to reach CSU students in the hopes that

they will use the RTA system, grow accustomed to it, and give them the motivation to continue

to ride the RTA once they graduate. The Cleveland RTA has a unique partnership with CSU, and

it is a shame that less than half the students take advantage of this very exclusive opportunity.

The Executive Management team:

Joseph A. Calabrese Chief Executive Officer, General Manager/Secretary-TreasurerSheryl King Benford General Counsel, Deputy General Manager, Legal AffairsStephen J. Bitto Director, Marketing & Communications

Research RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

A. Discover why students are/are not using their RTA U-Pass, which they are paying for through tuition.

B. Discover what feelings and expectations come to student’s minds when they think of the Cleveland RTA.

C. Learn what changes students recommend to better connect with our target market and increase ridership.

D. Learn about student’s interest and knowledge of the RTA Facebook page.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

Focus Group

Our focus group was conducted with eight participants ranging in age from 19-23 who

are current CSU students. Five of the participants live on campus while the other three live

within two miles of campus. There were five males and three females.

During the 45 minute long discussion, our goal was to understand how our participants

truly felt about the Cleveland RTA. All participants had heard of the Cleveland RTA. We began

by asking them what they liked best about the Cleveland RTA.

Some of the answers included: Appropriate running times of bus. For the most part reliable and there when needed.

o Quote: “I have to get up early and need to be at practice on time at 6am. I live on East 9th so I depend on the bus being there on time.”

Good for getting to Tower City, Barroom, W. 6th St.

Saves time. Convenient in morning. Good in cold weather.

We then asked them what they disliked about the Cleveland RTA riding experience. Answers included:

People bothering you. Waiting occasionally. People asking for money on bus. Buses honking horns at night on campus.

o Quote: “Hearing the bus honking in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep gets old fast.”

Transit police not always the friendliest.

Now that likes and dislikes were covered, we moved on and had them describe one word that they would use to describe the Cleveland RTA. The answers were very unflattering.

One word description: Gross Uncomfortable Quiet Smelly

Bad on weekends Waiting Loud Creepy

After discussing the participant’s feelings toward the Cleveland RTA, we moved on to the

Facebook page. When asked if they were aware the RTA has a Facebook page, only one of the

participants knew it existed. He said he “liked” the page because he was entered to win a prize if

he did. He did not remember what the prize was as he did not end up winning it. He also said he

currently does not go to the page to check it out.

After the Facebook discussion ended we moved back to the RTA and usage habits. When

asked if they had picked up their RTA U-Pass that they had paid for through tuition, six said they

had while the other two said they had not, with “laziness” and “keep forgetting to pick it up” as

their reasons. They still ride the RTA, however, as there is nobody checking cards during the

school day. It should also be noted that the two live on campus so their need for the pass is not as

essential as those that live off campus.

When the participants were asked if they are more likely to ride the RTA by themselves

or with friends, six said they were more likely to ride with friends. It should be noted that the two

who said they take it more often alone were two of the three participants that live off campus.

Finally, we wrapped up our discussion by asking if any of them had ever taken the Rapid

that goes out of Tower City. Of the eight, three have used the rapid, all to get to the airport. As

opposed to the RTA buses, all three of them have had positive things to say about the Rapid.

Quote: “I took the Rapid with a group of friends and it seemed more organized than the bus.

There is a lot more security, I guess.”

The other two participants agreed with this statement, adding that the turnstiles and

security guards checking tickets made them feel safer.

One last find, and a very interesting find at that, is that everyone agreed that if the RTA

ran an exclusive bus service on the weekends that would run a loop from campus to West 6th St.

where the bars and clubs are it would be used. It should be noted that all were very enthusiastic

about this idea.

Survey

 Male   65.00%  Female   35.00% 

 17-20 years old   45.00%  21-24 years old   50.00%  25+ years old   5.00% 

 Commute   50.00%  Live on campus   50.00% 

Have you heard of the Cleveland RTA?Yes   100.00% 

 No   0.00% 

Do you ride the Cleveland RTA? Yes   75.00%  No   25.00% 

Awareness of paying for RTA U-Pass Yes   100.00%  No   0.00% 

Using RTA U-Pass Yes   70.00% 

 No   30.00% 

How finding out about the RTA U-Pass Friend   30.00% 

 Professor   5.00%  Letter   5.00% 

 Counselor   5.00%  Online   5.00% 

 CSU information sheets   35.00% 

 Other  15.00% Other: Looking at tuition bill

Emotion describing RTA experience Ambivalent   5.00% 

 Angry   5.00%  Frustrated   20.00%  Nervous   10.00%  Fearful   5.00% 

 Safe   0.00%  Relaxed   10.00% 

 Indifferent   35.00%  Other   10.00% 

Have you ever visited RTA website?Yes   35.00%  No   65.00% 

Why have you visited the website? Look up information For schedules Lost and found Route information

Are you aware you can create a transit route on website? Yes   55.00%  No   45.00% 

Have you ever ridden the Cleveland RTA with friends? With Friends   70.00% 

 Alone   30.00% 

Have you ever suggested to another student to take the Cleveland RTA to a destination? Yes   85.00%  No   15.00% 

Have you ever taken the Rapid from Tower City? Yes   45.00%  No   55.00% 

Are you aware the Cleveland RTA has a Facebook page?Yes   50.00%  No   50.00% 

Have you ever visited the Facebook page?Yes   20.00%  No   80.00% 

The following are some examples from other questions:

How would you describe yourself? Imaginative Fun Responsible Busy Athletic Stubborn

Emotional Happy Motivated Caring Personable Hardworking

Shy Carefree Introvert Ambitious Hates college Student

Why do you ride the Clevleand RTA? Easy way to get to downtown Convenient way to get around Cleveland Easiest way to get anywhere on Euclid Paying for it so may as well use it Lazy and don’t want to walk Don’t have to buy parking pass Saves money and gas Have driving and hate gas more than driving

Why don’t you ride the Cleveland RTA? Just don’t Don’t know Not enough security Unpleasant people on bus Dirty Drive own car

If you don’t currently ride the Cleveland RTA, what would make you ride it? Better routes More frequent bus times Extended routes More security Clean

RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS

The Cleveland RTA is seen as a convenient way to get around Cleveland,

especially to Tower City and the bars. It is usually dependable when it comes to being on

time, but some believe that it should run more frequently on the weekends. The actual

RTA experience of riding the buses is where most of the weaknesses can be seen, as

people find them dirty, smelly, uncomfortable, unsafe and all around unpleasant.

Additionally, although there is a decent amount of awareness about the website and

Facebook page, not many people are actually going and using them.

SWOT AnalysisSTRENGTHS

One of the major strengths of the Cleveland RTA is that the price for the bus passes and tickets are affordable to the majority of the public, including CSU students. The RTA buses, since they run on a schedule, are usually reliable and never run too late. The bus schedule, along with the fact that they run on a consistent 15 minute basis during the morning and evening rush hours, make the buses convenient for the public, especially for workers. There are also many varieties of transportation made available by the RTA, including buses, trolleys and the rapid. Additionally, CSU students are able to use an RTA U-Pass for free, which helps with use and awareness of the RTA by CSU students. Due to this U-Pass, a large majority of CSU students do know about the RTA. The RTA Facebook page is also a useful tool to communicate with the target audience, as their Facebook page is one of the top 3 in the country (viewer-wise) for public transportation systems. The RTA also gets creative with their advertising, using a lot of non-traditional and buzz marketing to generate awareness.

WEAKNESSES The main weaknesses of the Cleveland RTA center around the bus experience.

Many riders feel that the buses are not as safe as they could be, and thus tend to avoid them, especially at night. If the transit police are not on the buses to supervise, or if the drivers are not checking to see if tickets have been purchased, anyone is able to get onto the bus. Additionally, the buses are not always to cleanest and best smelling mode of transportation available. There could also not enough interaction between the RTA and the public.

OPPORTUNITIES Opportunities for the RTA include the ever-increasing gas prices, which are

making people more reluctant to drive their own cars and are driving them to seek alternative modes of transportation. People, especially college age students, are becoming more environmentally conscious, which will lead to a higher use of the RTA’s “green” way to travel. With the high levels of traffic coming into the city during the morning and evening rush hours, taking the RTA makes traveling to and from Cleveland easier. As CSU is still primarily a commuter campus, students who want to avoid the parking issues and traffic will be inclined to use the RTA. As there is no other public transportation system in Cleveland, the RTA has the opportunity to bring in a large crowd of new students in the ever growing CSU campus.

THREATS Threats to the Cleveland RTA involve the other modes of transportation available

to students and commuters alike, including cabs, cars and the Viking Loop. There are also other eco-friendly vehicles like bikes and eco-friendly cars. The RTA also must be

concerned about any accidents or crime that occurs on or near any of the RTA modes of transportation.

Key Advertising ProblemsCleveland RTA has several advertising problems that need to be solved. One of

these problems include the fact that only about half of the students at Cleveland State

activate their RTA U-Pass and less than half even use the RTA. Another problem that

needs to be solved is the reputation RTA has among the student body. There is a well

known reputation of RTA being unsafe and occasionally late, which is why some refuse

to use the RTA.

As a group we will need to figure out a way to dispel these problems. We will be

using research such as online surveys, personal interviews, and focus groups to find out

information that will helps us create a marketing plan, which will fix these problems. The

Online Survey will give us a broad idea as to why people are not getting and using their

U-Pass. The Personal Interviews and focus groups will allow us to find out why people

have certain opinions of RTA and what can be done to change their opinion and make it

more desirable for them to ride.

The advertising problems of RTA might include issues like not enough exposure

of RTA to the target audience and public. With RTA’s low budget for advertising, the use

of more traditional advertisements can be too expensive. Therefore more non-traditional

types of advertising are being implemented. The issue with this is that one needs to try

and get the same (or better) exposure that traditional advertising acquires.

Objectives To increase the percentage of Cleveland State Students to pick up their RTA U-pass

(about 50% of students currently do) by 20%, by the end of the first year. To Increase the number of people who follow or “like” the RTA Facebook page to

20,000 by the end of the first year (currently at about 13,000). To increase the number of students who use the Cleveland RTA by 20%, by the end of

the first year, as determined by a before and after survey. To increase awareness of the RTA among the student body at Cleveland State, so that

everyone surveyed has heard of the brand.

Target Audience

The target audience will be all students who currently attend Cleveland State

University. They are aged between 18-25years old. We chose to target them because this

age group either will not have a car, or will more likely not have a very high income that

goes towards paying for the added expenses of having a car (gas, parking passes). The

RTA pass is included in their overall fees so these students have access to the RTA

system. We also are targeting the younger students as they are more likely to get involved

in using the RTA and are open to new things.

Within this target audience are two types of students:

On campus: This refers to all students who currently live on campus. They either live in the

university dorm or in an apartment in the city of Cleveland on-campus.

Off campus/commuter: This refers to all students who attend the university, yet have to commute

every day. They need to travel to and from home to campus nearly every day. They will be the

ones who have a bigger issue with gas and mileage.

Brand PositionThe RTA is positioned as a public transportation company that offers low cost

transportation around the greater Cleveland area to Cleveland State University students.

They offer an alternative to high gas prices and vehicle mileage issues, thus also offering

an environmentally sustainable mode of transport for our environmentally conscious

riders.

Campaign Strategy1) Use forms of non-traditional guerilla marketing around the Cleveland State Campus. 2) Use direct mail to create awareness and inform students of the RTA U-pass website and

Facebook page, primarily so they will visit the site and pick up their U-Pass upon arrival at campus.

3) RTA sponsored events on campus to create awareness of the brand.4) Update Facebook page more frequently and offer promotions and incentives on the

Facebook page.5) Use a small amount of traditional advertising to create a fully integrated marketing

campaign.

Key Consumer InsightThe target audience sees the Cleveland RTA as an unclean, unsafe and stressful way to ride. Although there is awareness of the RTA and their Facebook page, members of the target audience are reluctant to use it. Research has showed, however, that there are ways to reach this target audience of Cleveland State University students, and by engaging them in a more interactive way they will respond positively to the RTA brand .

Main IdeaThis campaign will use interactive and buzz-inducing marketing techniques that

will have a primary focus on non-traditional, cost effective media. By creating a more fun and engaging brand experience, the Cleveland RTA can successfully reach and increase the target market of Cleveland State University students.

Message ObjectivesCONNECT THE CLEVELAND RTA TO CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS BY REACHING THEM IN AN ENGAGING AND INTERACTIVE WAY AND OFFERING EXCLUSIVE PRIZES AND PROMOTIONS, WHICH WILL BUILD AWARENESS AND LASTING FAVORABILITY OF THE CLEVELAND RTA.

Increase the Cleveland RTA presence at CSU events: Cleveland State University often holds special events to bring students together. These events include The Weeks of Welcome, Vikefest, Winterfest, and Springfest (csuohio.edu). At the events, run by the Cleveland State Campus Activities Board, students can play games, eat, and learn more about student groups. Starting Fall 2012, The Cleveland RTA will have a presence there as well by having an information booth where students can pick up pamphlets and brochures about RTA and its routes. Additionally, we will bring a cut out of the front of an RTA bus, and will allow students to get their picture taken in the bus driver’s seat. These events are prime outlets to reach CSU students and engage with them in a fun and interactive setting. “RTA Party Trolley”: One of our main findings of our research was that students like to go out to the bars on Friday and Saturday night, but are reluctant to use the Cleveland RTA and instead opt to spend money and take a cab to their destination. This destination is primarily the bar and club scene on West 6th street. By creating an exclusive “Party Trolley” for only CSU students that is a direct shuttle from campus to West 6th Street, we can begin to change the behaviors of students and make the RTA their 1st choice when it comes to nighttime transportation. By creating a fun, hip environment inside these trolleys, and allowing CSU students to bring one guest with them on their ride, students will now have a safe, reliable, and cost effective way to travel to their party destinations. These trolleys will run on a continuous 15 minute loop from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. RTA Direct Mail Letter: In order to increase awareness of the Cleveland RTA before incoming students even arrive at school, a direct mail letter will be sent out a few weeks before classes begin to the households of every incoming freshman and transfer student explaining the RTA’s relationship with Cleveland State University. The letter will discuss the RTA U-Pass promotion, as well as provide information about the RTA web site and how students can use the RTA to travel and explore Cleveland. Students will also be encouraged to become a fan of the Facebook and Twitter pages in order to receive special prizes and promotions. By reaching out to students before they even get to campus the RTA can get a head start on achieving acceptance and lasting favorability of their brand from these new students. Banners: In order to generate awareness of the RTA among students once they reach campus, welcome banners will be placed on the Student Center building and inside the atrium as well. These banners will be placed during the beginning of each semester, and will make sure the RTA has a presence on the CSU campus that every student will be able to see. By introducing the RTA as a welcoming, positive brand, students will be sure to pick up their U-Pass and experience a ride on the RTA.

ENHANCE THE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE OF THE CLEVELAND RTA

Social networking is one of the most important, and cost effective, ways to target Cleveland state University students. The overwhelming majority of our target audience uses social networking, and we will focus on Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook

We plan to build onto what the Cleveland RTA fan page already has by creating promotions and contests that will draw the target audience to the page while cultivating a positive association with the RTA. The fan page will include:

“Fun” and “interactive” questions that will be relevant to our target audience. Sample questions will include, “Where are you riding the RTA to today?” or “What was your favorite RTA riding experience?” These questions will allow for better interaction with the target audience, and effective 2-way communication that will help to gain further consumer insights. Updates on route information (alerts for broken down buses and traffic), along with giving the weather each morning. “Cleveland RTA Scavenger Hunt” promotion: During the fall and spring, the RTA will create a scavenger hunt that will be a fun and interactive experience for the target market. The scavenger hunt will begin by the RTA putting a list onto the Facebook page of Cleveland attractions that can be reached by riding the RTA, including Tower City, Progressive Field, The Cleveland Museum of Art, etc. Those who wish to participate must upload a picture of themselves at the location with their RTA U-Pass sticker in the picture as well. This will get CSU students out of campus and exploring the city in a fun way while using the RTA. Once a student has uploaded pictures of themselves at every location, they will win an RTA themed prize. “Snap Me Bus” promotion: We will specially wrap 2 RTA buses with a unique bus wrap encouraging onlookers to “Snap Me…if You Can!” These buses will go out once a month, and the first 50 CSU students who upload a picture of the bus onto the Facebook page will receive an RTA themed prize. “Rider of the Week” promotion: Each week, the CSU student who uploads the most unique photo that includes the RTA logo onto the Facebook page will be named the “RTA Rider of the Week,” and will receive an RTA themed prize.

Twitter

The Cleveland RTA Twitter page will be synched up with the Facebook page, allowing followers to participate in all the same promotions as Facebook followers. This is yet another outlet to connect with CSU students, and will help to create a more comprehensive social media plan.

ENHANCE THE PRESENCE OF THE CLEVELAND RTA’S SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROJECTS

Once each semester, the Cleveland RTA will put on a “Pack the Bus” rally at Cleveland State University. This will be a charitable event, and will involve placing an empty bus on campus for a week and inviting students, faculty, and staff alike to donate supplies, gifts, food, etc. by placing them in the empty bus. At the end of the week, the bus full of supplies and goods will be driven to the Salvation Army (or other charitable organization in Cleveland) to be given to those in need. This will be a great public relations tool for the Cleveland RTA to use, and will allow for awareness and acceptance of the RTA brand among students. These events will also generate media coverage, allowing for a positive association from the community towards the RTA and CSU.

Media ObjectivesThe primary media objective of this campaign is to increase awareness and acceptance of the Cleveland RTA by Cleveland State University students. This will be done by using primarily non-traditional media outlets and buzz marketing.

The secondary media objective will be to create a more interactive social networking experience that will engage CSU students and bring a greater acceptance and lasting favorability of the Cleveland RTA.

Media selection

OUTDOOR BANNER ADVERTISING

Banners will be placed on the front of main classroom and in the atrium of the student center at Cleveland State University for the 1st month of the fall, spring, and summer semesters. The banner will say “RTA Welcomes Students to Cleveland State University,” and will reach all CSU students with a high level of frequency, as students will see these banners every time they pass these areas.

Budget Breakdown2: 6’x25’ banners at $900.00 each = $1,800.00(vinylbannersrus.com)

DIRECT MAIL

The direct mail letter will be mailed out to all incoming CSU freshmen and transfer students beginning in August of 2012. The direct mail letter will then be mailed out to this same group before every new semester .

Budget Breakdown3,000 direct mail letters at $0.44 per letter (mailing costs) + $200 for paper =

$1,500.00

INTERNET

Skyscraper ads will be placed on the Cleveland State University website home page (www.csuohio.edu). The ads will look like the banners that will be placed on buildings around the school during the first several weeks of the semester. Those who click on the ads will be directed to the Cleveland RTA home page (www.riderta.com). These ads will promote both high reach and frequency, as all Cleveland State University students see this home page when they log onto the internet on a school computer, as well as when they need to go onto Blackboard or check their account on Campusnet. The ads will be placed on the home page during the first and last months of the fall and spring semesters.

Budget breakdown1 Skyscraper ad at $2,000.00/month for 4 months = $8,000.00(bigpictureweb.com)

BUS WRAPS

We will wrap 2 RTA Buses with the “Snap Me” bus wrap, to be used for the Facebook contests. We will also wrap 2 “Party trolleys” that will be used to shuttle CSU students from campus to West 6th Street and back on the weekends.

Budget Breakdown4 bus wraps at $3,000.00 per wrap = $12,000.00(bigideawraps.com)

RTA BOOTH

This RTA booth will be placed on the lawn between the students center and library (or inside the student center if bad weather) during CSU events (Weeks of Welcome, Winterfest, etc.)

Budget BreakdownPrinting costs of RTA information/creation of bus cutout = $1,000.00

SOCIAL NETWORKING

The social networking will consist of cost of prizes that will go to participants in the Cleveland RTA Scavenger Hunt, “Snap Me Bus,” and RTA Rider of the Week promotions.

Budget BreakdownPrizes and promotions (about 1,000 winners in total) = $4,000.00

$1,800.00 $1,500.00

$8,000.00

$12,000.00

$1,000.00

$4,000.00

Media Budget

Outdoor BannersDirect Mail LettersInternet Skyscraper AdsBus WrapsRTA BoothSocial Networking Prizes and Promotions

Total Media Budget: $28,300

Campaign Timeline

Send out direct mail RTA welcome letterAugust 2012

Place welcome banners on Student Center and in AtriumBegin Social Networking campaignBegin bus wraps and Party TrolleySkyscraper ad on www.csuohio.eduRTA booth at CSU welcome festSeptember

2012

Continue Social Networking campaignContinue bus wraps and Party TrolleyOctober 2012Continue Social Networking campaignContinue bus wraps and Party TrolleyMid -November: skyscraper ad on www.csuohio.edu"Pack the Bus" rally mid-NovemberNovember

2012

Continue Social Networking campaignContinue bus wraps and Party Trolley (unitl end of semester mid-December)Skyscraper ad contiunues to run on www.csuohio.edu until end of semesterDecember

2012

Send out direct mail welcome letter to incoming studentsPlace welcome banners on student center and in atriumRTA booth at CSU welcome festContinue social networking campaignSkyscraper ad runs on www.csuohio.edu starting beginning of semesterBus wraps and Party Trolley start up at beginning of semester

January 2013

Skyscraper ad runs on www.csuohio.edu until mid-FebruaryContinue Social Networking campaignBus wraps and Party Trolley continueFebruary

2013

Continue Social Networking campaignBus wraps and Party Trolley continue

March 2013

"Pack the Bus" rally mid-AprilMid-April: skyscraper ad on www.csuohio.eduContinue Social Networking campaignBus wraps and Party Trolley continue

April 2013

Skyscraper ad will continue on www.csuohio.edu until end of semesterBus wraps and Party Trolley will continue until end of the semesterSocial Networking campaign continues until end of semester

May 2013

EvaluationEvery time a new marketing campaign is developed it is important to measure the

effectiveness before, during, and after the campaign. This is important because it will

help us clearly see where we started and where we ended up as far as changes in not only

RTA ridership, but also Facebook traffic and student awareness.

We will start our research of effectiveness by looking at the current Facebook page. Right

now RTA has about 13,000 people that “like” their page. Our objective is to increase the “likes”

in RTA’s Facebook page to 20,000 by the end of the year. We plan on attracting people to go to

the RTA Facebook page by advertising at Cleveland State events and giving away promotional

items to students who “like” the page. This will also help us gain awareness for the RTA page.

Once the students like the page, we will then use the page to promote more incentives to ride the

RTA, such as discounts at local bars or stores.

Another way we will measure effectiveness prior to our campaign is to continue to take

polls and use statistics provided by RTA that shows their ridership numbers. We will also use

statistics provided by Cleveland State that shows the percentage of students that have collected

their U-Pass. The U-Pass is currently used by about 50% of the Cleveland State students. We

want to increase this percentage by 20% at the end of the year. At this point we will check with

Cleveland State and RTA weekly to see the changes in the ridership numbers and adjust our

campaign based on the statistics.

We will check weekly because each week we will be sending out a different

promotion with the local bars and stores to people who ride and “like” the Facebook

page. In our weekly check we will then be able to see how the promotion performed.

There are some variables that we will need to check on during these promotions. Some of

these variables will include gas prices, time of the day, day of the week, and weather.

These variables will help us gain a very detailed analysis as to whether our promotion

worked and when it worked best. In the future, in about three months, we will then be

able to alter our plan and offer different promotions daily, instead of weekly to increase

ridership based on our past promotional success. At this point we will be checking in with

RTA and Cleveland State each day to see how the daily promotions are working.

At the end of the campaign we want to be able to look at our campaign and see

that we have achieved our objectives. Our objectives are to increase the amount of

students that known about RTA U-Pass to 70% at the end of the year, increase the RTA

Facebook likes, and increase awareness. If we achieve these goals the campaign will be a

success. We also plan on doing focus groups, random polling, and individual interviews

with people at the end of the campaign to see if and how much their view of RTA has

changed.

Works Cited

Big Picture Internet Marketing Ideas website. www.bigpictureweb.com.

Breckenridge, Tom. (2012, April 18). RTA, Regional Transit Systems Seeing Renewed Demand from Riders. The Plain Dealer.

Cleveland State University website. www.csuohio.edu.

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority website. www.riderta.com.

Vehicle Wraps website. www.bigideawraps.com.

Vinyl Banners R Us website. www.vinylbannersrus.com.