San Joaquin Regional Transit District Rosa Parks Campaign

Target Audience: The target audience began with the desire to reach RTD passengers and the Stockton community. Much like Rosa Parks herself, the campaign ended up garnering national attention.

Strategy Objective:RTD took this moment in history to celebrate an empowering woman by reminding the community of her story. From fixed route to commuter, from Dial-A-Ride to VanGo, RTD is committed to developing multiple mobility options for all passengers. For the campaign, RTD created posters of Parks, unwavering in her seat over sixty years ago with her statement, "my only concern was to get home after a hard day's work." This poster was attached to the front seat of over 100 buses, from February 3'5, encouraging passengers to reflect on the freedoms they possess because of the stance Parks made while riding the bus. Social media was the main focus for promoting the campaign along with press releases and alerts.

Situation Challenge: Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in 1955. Her act created a historic moment and because it happened on a bus, it presented a good opportunity to relate RTD's initiatives in providing mobility options for everyone as a way of honoring Rosa Parks. This campaign allowed passengers to take time during their ride to reflect on the stance Parks made while riding'in whichever seat they chose'on an RTD bus route.

Results Impact: RTD's Rosa Parks shoestring campaign, with a budget of $500, received local and national media attention. ABC News 10 in Sacramento rode the bus while discussing with a passenger Parks and what her actions mean to people today. Additionally, National Public Radio in Alabama, Parks' home state, reached out to RTD regarding the campaign. On Facebook, posts of the campaign registered an organic reach of 2,200 users, five times higher than RTD's average reach.

Why Submit: RTD was able to spread awareness of an important historical moment that took place on public transit. This was achieved with very little budget and successfully attained not only the attention of San Joaquin County, but also the rest of the nation.