MTA LIRR Campaign to Increase Getaway Package Sales

Target Audience: The GETaways campaign targets existing MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) riders as well as families and individuals in areas serviced.

Strategy Objective:The objective of the GETaways campaign was to promote each of the existing discounted packages, while also increasing awareness of the overall Getaways discount program. We celebrate the emotional benefits one GETs from experiencing a package. Each ad highlights a fun experience users could GET by riding the train to a destination, while also strongly reinforcing the "LIRR GETaway" product name.

Situation Challenge: LIRR was looking for a way to promote their growing number of discounted destination packages, which combine discounted rail tickets with discounted admission to partnering destinations. Overall awareness among customers that LIRR offered these packages was low, combined with the fact that there was growing competitive pressure in the market from other local destinations and package services like Groupon.

Results Impact: This GETaways campaign increased sales and awareness of the GETaways offerings, generating the highest GETaways package ticket sales in the railroad's history. The digital and social ads generated nearly 16 million ad impressions and more than 41,000 clicks, with the most recent campaign generating a Click-Through-Rate of 1.95%. The creative and seasonal approach to combining package communications was so well received that LIRR's sister agency, MTA Metro-North Railroad, asked Pulsar to adapt the GETaways campaign for their packages. It is further being explored as the platform to promote all related MTA promotional offerings.

Why Submit: Working with LIRR, we created a unifying look and feel for a multimedia campaign with executions in mediums ranging from print advertisements, radio, and out-of-home to geo-targeted digital and social media advertisements. This bold, cohesive, and easily recognizable campaign doesn't only promote discounts and railroad use, it also promotes emotional benefits. The success of this campaign has allowed it to grow into something much larger within the MTA and will continue to be used.