MARTA to the Airport Campaign

Target Audience: Our target market for the "MARTA to the Airport" campaign consisted of business as well as pleasure travelers going to and from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from within the metropolitan Atlanta area. These individuals primarily were non-riding adults between the ages of 18 ' 64.

Strategy Objective:Our objective was to increase awareness of MARTA's direct airport connection, increase in the number of airport riders, and promote MARTA as the low cost, convenient, stress free way to travel to/from the airport. For this campaign, we created informative videos, pushed content on digital platforms, placed in-airport advertising dioramas to reach travelers and potential travelers, purchased radio ads in key markets and elevator monitor ads within Atlanta's business districts, in addition to disseminating press releases and promotional flyers/postcards.

Situation Challenge: Atlanta is home to the world's busiest airport which accommodates more 100 million passengers annually. MARTA is unique in that it has a train station that lets passengers off inside the airport for just $2.50 and was recently named the best transit-to-airport in the nation based on price, speed, convenience and frequency by Milecards.com. During rush hour traffic, MARTA is the most efficient way to travel to the airport. Our challenge was to create an awareness campaign that would inform travelers about the transit-to-airport direct connection and educate them about the efficiency of using transit in getting to the airport. Once we get them to take that first trip, we have a better chance of motivating them to take more trips and incorporate riding MARTA into their daily commutes.

Results Impact: With the MARTA to Airport campaign, MARTA saw an increased awareness among the target audience. Our dedicated webpage, which highlights information customers need to know when traveling to and from the airport, received over 85K pageviews. Our YouTube videos received over 8.5K views. From November 1, 2017, MARTA has had a total of 6.2M people going in and out of Airport Station and has seen a relative monthly increase in the number of passengers as the campaign developed.

Why Submit: Increasing ridership is a challenge for most Authorities. With the various options available to travelers going to and from the airport, MARTA has a unique position to imprint upon to these travelers that MARTA is the nation's best transit-to-airport connection. This entry was submitted due to the success of the campaign. Our goal was to market MARTA as the smartest, most cost-effective and efficient way of getting to the airport, and it seems that people are taking notice. Our ridership has increased going to/from the Airport Station since the start of this campaign, which shows that more people are becoming aware of the great connection, and that MARTA beats traffic!