Cleveland Area Rapid Transit
Strategic Communication Presentation
November 13, 2008
Establish an Awareness As a public transportation
provider, you must make the public aware!
Get involved in civic groups, especially the Chamber of Commerce
Meet with local business owners
Attend all meetings where the public is involved
Get Involved If you are
invited, GO! From events such as
Bike to Work Day to a mom’s group organizing Touch-a-Truck, it is the perfect way to show the community you care…and to market your system!
CART in the News CART has been
featured in the local newspapers more than 75 times from 2006 to 2008, including ten front-page stories in the Norman Transcript
Coverage ranged from special events and new routes to milestones and feature stories
Everyone Has a Story to Tell
You and only you know what your story is!
All employees have a story Milestones and records are
newsworthy New services and routes need
to be in the news
Create News
Garner news coverage by making news, by creating it!
Try Transit DayOctober 2006
CART waived fares on all routes and services
Hideaway Pizza donated 1,000 slices of pizza, which were gone in less than two hours
CART gave away four unlimited one-month passes
Cost: Loss of revenue
Fill the TrolleyDecember 2007
CART collected toys and household items from local businesses, university departments and student groups
CART was able to completely fill two trolleys, donating the goods to the Cleveland County Christmas Store
Cost: Fuel, driver, Santa Claus costume
Dump the PumpJune 2008
Mayor and City Council proclaimed June 19, 2008, Dump the Pump Day in Norman
CART waived fares on all services that day and gave free t-shirt to all riders as well as hosted a free concert at a local park
All major Oklahoma City news stations covered the event Ridership increased 100% on that day Sooner Express transported 145 passengers, a new record Cost: T-shirts, band, print advertising, exterior bus ads, loss of revenue
How to Get Media Attention Each reporter at a publication is assigned a
beat Find out who writes for transportation and
meet with that person, explaining to him or her exactly what your agency does
Build a relationship with the reporter, a trust, a rapport
Know what is newsworthy and what is not
How to Get Media Attention (Continued)
Do not inundate news outlets with press releases
No more than one or two press releases per month
Give reporter plenty of notice (several weeks) Be sure to educate the writer as to why your
story is relevant, why readers would care
Employ Private Sector Marketing Tactics
Print Advertising
Promotional Items
Discounts Coupons
Print Advertising
Very effective way to reach large audiences and send the message YOU want to send
Make ads catchy, creative and most importantly, memorable
Always include contact information and agency logo
Promotional Items Promotional items allow you to
put your logo on something people will use
Promotional items are great to have on-hand for attending events, such as information-sharing fairs and children’s functions
Examples: bookmarks, keychains, pencils, water bottles
Discounts Offer discounts or free rides
at various times Couple the event with quirky
or off-the-wall days, such as Friday the 13th or April Fools
Have fun with the customers on these days
Coupons Offer free-ride coupons in the newspaper or be
creative and include them in your city’s utility bill or other unique outlets
Have drivers collect coupons, recording route, day and time, to use as market research
Network With Other Public Transportation Providers
STEAL!!! Network with your peers Ask questions Transit providers are
more than willing to share ideas as public transportation agencies are not competing against each other