DCTA's A-train Birthday Contest Educates Riders and Increases Awareness of Key Agency Study

Target Audience: Key target audiences for the contest included DCTA riders (university students, commuters, occasional riders, etc.) and community partners and local organizations.

Strategy Objective:DCTA ' in partnership with the Antero Group ' released a "Case for Transit" study leveraging local and national statistical sources and case studies of local transit-oriented development to share the business case for transit in Denton County. The agency wanted to promote the study in a fun and unique way to educate riders on the new study while getting them to engage with the content. DCTA decided to host a one-day social media contest to educate its riders about the study, which included three questions on its Facebook page only on Monday, June 18 (official A-train anniversary) with hints to where to find answers. All contest entrants who answered accurately were entered in a random drawing to win one of three prize packages ($25 Amazon gift card and a 10 pack of regional day passes).

Situation Challenge: The main challenge DCTA faced was a short timeline in developing the contest details and creating all the digital graphics in house.

Results Impact: - Total Contest Entries ' 54 total participants - Antero Group Study Webpage on RideDCTA.net: o 122 total pageviews on June 18 compared to only eight views from June 1 ' 17 (93 percent increase in webpage views) o Top referrals ' Facebook, Direct Traffic, Google, Email Marketing and Twitter - Social Media o Facebook (Organic & Paid) ' 3,414 total people reached and 352 total engagements o Twitter (Organic & Paid) ' 95,340 total impressions and 62 total engagements

Why Submit: Due to the success of this scavenger-style contest, DCTA was able to educate its key audiences of the many benefits of its A-train commuter rail line with very little funds spent and received great engagement. The agency plans to utilize this tactic again for other key programs and initiatives in the future.