CATS On Time Campaign

Target Audience: The audience was current and potential riders.

Strategy Objective:Charlotte Area Transit System used social media marketing, a social media contest, display ads on buses, and a customer appreciation event at the Charlotte Transportation Center for this campaign. CATS created a promo item that featured the on-time message that was given to riders during the customer appreciation event and the promo item was included in social media posts. The social media contest encouraged riders to take a selfie when they boarded a bus that was on-time for eligibility to win prizes. The campaign featured a web landing page on the CATS website that displayed information about how to read the eye-level signs to better understand when to expect a bus to arrive.

Situation Challenge: Charlotte Area Transit System hired an independent firm to conduct customer research on several attributes, including on-time performance. Through this customer feedback, CATS learned that riders perceive bus services to be on-time around 65 percent of the time, while the internal measurement showed that buses are on-time 85 percent. CATS also posts the timepoints for all major stops at all 3,400 bus stops. A campaign was created to educate individuals about on time performance and how well CATS bus service does in meeting the published timetable.

Results Impact: The campaign resulted in increased awareness of the on-time performance of CATS buses, as well as awareness of how to read the eye-level display signs.

Why Submit: The On-Time Campaign took a more personal feel and approach for outreach of a subject that could have resulted in resistance from customers. The campaign leveraged opportunities to get on the ground with customers and allowed riders to have a deeper connection to CATS as not only a brand, but as a member of the Greater Charlotte community. The campaign enlightened customers to a new perception and we better connected with a younger generation by reaching out to them via social media. CATS took a more light-hearted approach to the messaging that still made the message clear that it was an important benefit to riders.