Arlington Transit's 20th Anniversary

Target Audience: The target audiences for the campaign were people who live or work in Arlington, VA. The goals of the campaign were to celebrate ART, thank current riders for using ART, create public awareness of the ART bus system and encourage potential riders to try ART.

Strategy Objective:The goals of the campaign were to celebrate ART, thank current riders, create public awareness of the system and encourage new riders to try ART. The campaign consisted of: - 2-sheet signage in all Metro stations in Arlington County and bus cards in all buses - Large 20th Anniversary window decals installed on all of the buses. - Free Ride Day that took place on Car-Free Day. All passengers rode ART for free. The drivers wore special 20th anniversary buttons. - Free Ride Day was promoted for 2-weeks leading up to the event and tied in the 20th Anniversary. Promotions were done via social media, a paid Facebook ad targeted to Arlington residents, at local events, on the buses, and through County newsletters and social networks.

Situation Challenge: ART's 20th anniversary of serving the Arlington community was in September. The anniversary was a good opportunity to celebrate ART and create public awareness of the bus system and how it has grown and served Arlington over the years. It was also an opportunity to introduce 13 new buses that Arlington Transit had purchased. Three of the buses started service in September to coincide with the anniversary. A video was created to introduce the buses and show some of the special features the buses have. The video can be seen here: https://youtu.be/Go0qIj9VQT8

Results Impact: ART's 20th anniversary campaign created greater public awareness of the ART bus system and encouraged people to try riding the bus on Free Ride Day. There was a slight increase in ridership on Free Ride Day. The campaign was also a chance to thank current riders for choosing to ride ART and let them know how much ART appreciates them. Several comments were received about how much people like riding ART, how they appreciated getting to ride for free on Free Ride Day and how they plan to continue to ride ART.

Why Submit: ART's 20th Anniversary campaign was a feel good campaign that not only celebrated ART but also celebrated the riders by providing free rides on Free Ride Day. The campaign was an opportunity to thank current riders, create public awareness of the system and encourage potential riders to try riding ART. The campaign accomplished all of these goals.