New Bus Service to Ontario International Airport (electronic)

Target Audience: The target audiences included: 1) General Public in Omnitrans service area; 2) Visitors/Travelers utilizing Ontario International Airport

Strategy Objective:Objective: Generate awareness and use of our new 15-minute bus service to Ontario International Airport (ONT) through electronic advertising aimed at air travelers (as part of a multi-media campaign). This included radio ads, digital displays at the airport baggage claim area and a video created for social media. Advertising was initiated at service launch but refreshed and reintroduced to coincide with busy travel periods (holidays and summer vacation). A holiday message was included in seasonal radio and baggage claim digital displays.

Situation Challenge: In late 2016, the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) took control of Ontario International Airport (ONT) from Los Angeles World Airports. OIAA wanted to improve the public transit access to ONT; for over a decade, we did not have a stop at the terminals. In 2016 we could only add hourly service to ONT due to budget constraints. In 2017-18, funds were allocated to provide direct daily service to ONT every 15 minutes by extending our Route 61 to airport terminals. We knew that only high frequency service would get air travelers to consider a transit option. The enhanced service was launched in Sept. 2017. To drive ridership, we had to make the air-traveling public aware of the new convenient connection.

Results Impact: Passenger activity at airport bus stops has more than doubled since launching 15-minute service in Sept. 2017. Monthly boardings + alightings were 1,105 in August 2017 when only hourly service was available. This jumped to 2,307 in Oct. 2017, immediately following the launch ad campaign, a 109% increase. Since then, monthly activity has averaged 2,251 (+104%). After a year, ridership continues to grow. Activity for Oct. 2018 totaled 2,831, up 23% from Oct. 2017. A social media video featured our mascot Buster got 750 views. Also, by providing and promoting quality transit service to ONT, we have built partnerships with management at ONT, the Ontario convention center and airport-area hotels, all of whom can help promote Omnitrans service.

Why Submit: Electronic elements of the OMNI to ONT (New Bus Service to Ontario International Airport) campaign effectively delivered key messaging to build awareness of the new service and generate ridership. The jet bus image was a great attention-getter and provided a quick read at baggage claim. Radio spots used familiar airline sound effects with the captain speaking to engage listeners. The video featured our mascot Buster at the easily recognizable terminal building to demonstrate our new direct connection to the airport. Messaging focused on the convenient 15 minute service frequency. Collectively these ads helped to double ridership to/from the airport.