Transcript Marketing Public Transport

Branding & Communications in Public
Transport
1st Asia BRTS Conference
Amdavad September 2012
Introduction
• Motor companies like Toyota, Ford and Tata
spend tens of billions of dollars per year
creating and maintaining their images,
cultivating their customers and selling their
products
Successful marketing, branding and
communications require an institutional
structure that prioritizes their importance
Fiction and Facts!
• Fiction
– Marketing is a luxury transit agencies can’t afford
– Public transport is a subsidy. There’s no need to reach out
to a wider audience because those who need or want to
use public transport already do so
– Branding and marketing by a transport agency is
government
something
to be avoided
Public
transitpropaganda,
is not a subsidy
for vulnerable
populations
(elderly, persons
disabilities
low income
Increasing
transitwith
use has
tangibleand
benefits
for all. If an
Marketing
is a coreabout
investment.
A better
public
image
individuals/families),
butmarketing
an integral
part
of a high
agency
is nervous
its
service,
then
it
attracts
riders,
leading
toretain
higher
revenue
and
greater
functioning
city
that
can
jobs,
attract
should never
have
invested
in the
service
toinvestment
begin
with
demand
for transit
service.of life
and support
a high-quality
How to Beat the Competition!
• Attract new users that currently use private
transport such as cars and motorcycles
• Retain existing public transport users who
might feel compelled to buy a private vehicle
• Secure political and financial support from
government officials
How does the private sector work?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Brand and identity
Internal communication
User education and information systems
Marketing campaigns
Public relations and external communication
User feedback
Online engagement
1. The Importance of a BRAND
What is a BRAND?
• A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a
product, service, or company
• A brand is the idea or image of a specific
product or service that consumers connect
with
1. The Importance of a BRAND
DEFINE CORE VALUES
• System that is fast, reliable, modern, efficient,
comfortable and safe
• Values should be incorporated in every aspect of
the system
Consider that your bus should represent all these
values...your bus is your mission statement!
Associate with an image
Associate with a character
Your brand should have a
strong association with a
‘positive feel’
Associate with a personality
Should you associate with existing brand?
• What is the image of the existing brand?
• What is public perception of the existing
brand?
Janmarg is an example of creating a
completely new brand
Understand the local context
• Potential riders will relate more closely if
values embody local culture and values
• Focus on the local residents first – later think
about the national/ global audience!
2. Sell Your Values
• Every employee of a public transit agency,
from a bus driver to a senior engineer, should
be thought of as a brand ambassador
• If employees do not identify with your values
and brand, chances are that general public
won’t either!
• If employees do not ride the system, general
public wont!
Uniforms make a difference....even the
seat belt conveys that the transit agency
takes safety seriously!
Drivers are not merely drivers....they are
‘system operators’ and proud of it!
Communicate – up and down!
• Not enough to communicate values to junior
staff – have a system that enables them to
contact senior staff with issues on ground
Remember....staff on ground will interact
with commuters and needs to be heard!
3. When should communication begin?
• Start communicating to people early – much
before a new system opens
– Exhibitions, focused group meetings, seminars
• Build prototypes if possible and invite people
to see, inspect and suggest
• Communicate with children!
Reaching out to people
Prototype bus station
Communicating to children
Some fundamental questions
People will have some fundamental questions...
• Am I affected?
• What is BRTS? (and why median lanes!)
• Does it go near my house/ my place of work?
• When does it start?
• How do I get from here to there?
• Why should I ride it?
4. Clear Signages/ Wayfinding
• Efficiency
– Place user information where people can access it
easily
– Provide space for temporary information
• Usability
– Design and placement of signages, maps, kiosks
etc. is critical
4. Signages/ Wayfinding
• Understanding
– Make information intuitive to use
– Use technology if required
• Local context
– Names of transit stops
• Quality
– Use high quality and durable material
What happens outside the corridor?
• Trips do not end and begin at transit stops
• Neighbourhoods around the transit facility
should have wayfinding signage, kiosks etc.
Some Simple Rules....
• Maintain the same brand across all user
information systems – font type, colour, logos,
layout etc.
• Do not provide too much information –
people get confused!
• Do not provide too little information – think of
first time users!
Multiple languages
Clarity?
Too much information?
5. Know What Riders Want
Riders’ perception of transit service is often
influenced by five factors
• Reliability
• Frequent service
• Safety and cleanliness
• Service hours
• Cost and savings
Marketing
The aim is two-fold
• Target potential new customers
• Target people who may never ride the system
– but may have the power/ influence to
impact it
But remember....Marketing cannot be a substitute for
high quality. The system should deliver what it
promises!
BRT Booklets / Brochures / Newsletters
Mementos
Customer education
Tailor your message
From here to there: Embarq
6. Manage the Press!
• Attract press coverage that you can control
and steer
• Address problems and negative perceptions
proactively
Correcting a negative image later is difficult
The BRTS, which sees 15,000 passengers
during normal days, ferried 33,000
Amdavadis during Navratri
Thank God for BRTS. I avoided the
traffic jam around the venue. People had
parked bikes halfway into the road
creating bottlenecks. I avoided being
stressed out by taking the bus.
– Bhavin Choksy who came with his
family
Why waste time in traffic? With its
dedicated corridor, the bus reaches faster.
And if you miss one bus, another will be
along in a few minutes. And, it is
absolutely free
– Narayan Kothari, resident of
Vastral
“Ahmedabad traffic to lose a lane but
gain a huge leeway ”
– Shri. O.P. Agarwal
“Ahmedabad BRTS has best marketing
strategy ”
– Shri. S. K. Lohia
Develop relationships with media
• Be accessible to journalists – else there are
chances that the wrong story may spread
• Appoint a public relations officer – retain him/
her after operations begin!
Government entities are often afraid of media
and tend not to communicate with them,
hoping the problem/ question will ‘go away’
Tailor the story
• Different journalists will have different
interests – provide relevant information that
would engage him/ her and readers
7. Be Responsive to Riders
• In a customer-driven industry, such as public
transport, communication channels should be
bi-directional
• Without effective methods to communicate
feedback, both positive and negative, riders
can feel unimportant
Taking feedback
• Incorporate a system to take customer
feedback
• Take time to reply to suggestions – whether
you agree or not!
A letter we received
Dear Sirs,
I am sorry to say that BRTS Corridor is an example of stupidity in design. CEPT,
Ahmedabad must be a good option for theoretical approach, but in
practicality, their design proved worthless
Dear Mr. Jayaraj,(we responded)
Thank you for taking interest in BRTS project and writing to us about your
concerns. There are pros and cons in aligning over-bridges/flyovers along or
across the ring road and Naroda-Narol Highway. Hope this clarifies your
doubts. If you require further details, you may write to us/call me on my
mobile: 9825407505/ or you may visit CEPT after calling me. We welcome
your suggestions
Dear Sir, (the response)
Thank you for the clarifications. While you have to consider multiple issues, I
thought only of my smooth travel from Akhbar Nagar to IIM junction. Wishing
you all the best for your endeavors. I once again thank you so much for
making the time to reply
Reach out
• Conduct trial runs – invite people to take a
ride (be prepared, else there may be a
negative perception)
• Use festivals, events to introduce the system
• Educate commuters
8. New Ways to Access Information
• Reach users before they arrive
– Design a website that informs commuters before
they reach the transit stop
– Create a mobile in formation system that responds
via sms
8. New Ways to Access Information
• Be proactive
– Create an online presence as soon as the system
name is finalised – you get the best name which
shows up first in search engines!
– Buy domains you never want to exist
(www.ihatejanmarg.com)!
8. New Ways to Access Information
• Go social
– Have a facebook page
– Be active on the web (update information)
– Respond to suggestions
Remember what you are up against!
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Some last thoughts
• The competition is tough!
• They have more money!
• Public transit agencies need to use their
resources/ assets creatively
• Effective Branding and Communications
is key to success