Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Marketing & Branding Unit 8:...
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Transcript of Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood Marketing & Branding Unit 8:...
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
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
How do we sell cars?
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
How do you perceive transit?
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
BRT “BRANDING”Promotion in bus rapid transit goes beyond marketing
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
Marketing Classifications
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
Branding Devices
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
• Rear Window• Multiple Doors• Circulation• Seat Comfort• Fast Securement
• Interior Finish• Large Windows• Luggage Racks• Information• Grab Bars
High-Comfort, Amenities
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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”
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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”
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
SOCIAL MEDIAThe evolution of information and promotion
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
TRANSIT’S IMAGEThe bigger picture comes down to improving
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
2003 GM ad in Vancouver
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
2011 GM ad
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
How would you advertise transit?
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
God Created Transit
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6neVqNfmW7U
Materials developed by K. Watkins, J. LaMondia and C. Brakewood
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