Using Direct Mail to Reach Small, Rural Communities

Target Audience: The target audiences for this campaign were the residents of several small communities served by four rural transit agencies ' VVTA/Barstow, Morongo Basin Transit Authority, Mountain Transit and Needles Area Transit.

Strategy Objective:The objective of the campaign was to generate trial and more frequent ridership of the local routes by residents living along them. The strategy was to incentive ridership by providing each household with a direct mailer that included locally customized transit information, instructions for using Google Maps to get easy schedule information and a five-day free ride pass. The large, eye-catching mailers were distributed to each household within the service zone via Every Door Direct Mail. A different mailer was created for each community using a photo appropriate to the demographics of the community, and a map showing the routes specific to that area.

Situation Challenge: Each of these agencies operates local routes which serve residents traveling to work, school shopping and medical appointments within their community and adjacent towns. In all cases, ridership on these routes was in decline.

Results Impact: The campaign generated immediate ridership increases in every system, ranging from 9% to 51% over the same time period the prior year. While some of the efforts have only recently completed, the early mailing in Barstow has resulted in sustained ridership gains. In a post-campaign on-board survey, riders were asked if they had responded to a free ride offer in the past six months, and if they had been regular transit users prior to the offer. The findings indicate that many of the free rider users were in fact new to using transit.

Why Submit: This direct mail campaign clearly demonstrates the potential to attract new riders by providing them with an attractive appeal, carefully targeted information and a chance to try transit free. Advertising that "works" is what the AdWheel Awards is all about.