Promotional Materials Clearinghouse

Purpose: To help Transportation Management Organizations assess their communications methods and develop a more strategic approach to reaching their most valuable audiences.

Transportation organizations face numerous challenges in reaching their audiences and motivating them to action. Despite compelling arguments such as traffic congestion, diminishing air quality, and time-consuming commutes, it has proven extremely difficult to convince commuters to use alternative transportation and give up the perceived "independence" of driving alone. The problem is further compounded by competition in today's noisy marketplace for the public's attention. Consumers are being bombarded from every angle, via every medium with thousands of messages telling them where to go, what to think, and how to act. This "information overload" has produced an American public that is more knowledgeable, and more cynical than ever. To break through the clutter and connect with audience priorities, a comprehensive strategic approach to communication is needed.

Given the complexities of today's marketplace, and the multitude of outreach choices, putting together a plan can be daunting. Following are five pitfalls that need to be avoided in order to mount a successful marketing and communications campaign:

1. Assuming you know your audience
2. Targeting everyone
3. Self-serving messages
4. Believing media coverage is enough
5. Not monitoring and evaluating progress

Assuming you know your audience
Most institutions constantly survey their members and clients. However, the results that they get only capture their attitudes on the issue or complaint of the day. While this will produce some general assumptions, it is usually best to undertake steps to discover the particular needs and priorities of key audiences.

There are any number of methods that might be used: personal interviews, focus groups, direct mail and telephone surveys. If orchestrated correctly, the process can: provide a unique understanding of opportunities for success; achieve critical buy-in from key stakeholders; and will help to determine how to complement programmatic and organizational goals and objectives already in place.

Targeting everyone
Sure would be great if everyone was open to your ideas and concepts. But unless you have the advertising and promotional budgets of Nike or Burger King, you simply must narrow your focus down. Start by putting everyone in your audience into one of three categories:

1. Those most likely to avail themselves of your programs and services
2. Those somewhat likely
3. Those least likely.

The majority of your effort should be focused on the first two groups. Take a political for example. Candidates don't have the time or money to focus on people who are highly unlikely to vote for them. Instead, they spend their energies shoring up support from those most likely to vote in their favor.

The same targeting principles hold true in the transportation arena. A review of existing data, coupled with some new research will help to lay some priority to the question of which audiences will yield the best results. (By the way, even though it seems like Nike is going after everyone, they too target their audiences.)

Self-serving messages
Of course organizations want the public to know about the good things that they accomplish, as they should. But it is in how they communicate -- the methods they use -- that determines whether the message leads to the desired action, or goes in one ear and out the other. No matter who your audience is, you can be sure that their highest priority is self-interest.

Therefore you need to assess your message and determine whether its based in your self-interest or your audiences'. If it isn't in your audiences', then you have a problem that needs to addressed. Stuart Anderson, a leading transportation consultant, suggests the POPS approach for curing the problem. Here's how it works:

Imagine that you are making a presentation to an employer aimed at getting them to implement alternative transportation programs for their employees. Pointing out that these programs will reduce air pollution is probably not going to have much of an impact on them. Instead, build your case with the company's objectives in mind:

* Productivity - show them how productivity will increase in their company
* Operations - illustrate how their operations will improve
* Public Image - demonstrate the benefits to the way the company is viewed
* Satisfaction - show them how it will raise their employees' job satisfaction

By showing what these programs can do for them, you are one step closer to buy-in.

Believing media coverage is enough
Studies have shown that people need to be exposed to an idea seven times before it makes an impression on them. In order to achieve this result, a successful campaign must be multi-layered. One strategy will not get the job done. Many campaigns believe that once they have come up with a catchy slogan or designed an attractive ad, their work is done. They fail to understand that typically one advertisement in one publication, on one day is not going to generate widespread attention or demand.

This is where an integrated approach is necessary. Outreach to community and opinion leaders, advertisement and public service announcements (although it is getting pretty tough these days to get them run at a decent time), and media relations all need to work in conjunction with each other. Like instruments in an orchestra, when heard in unison they can produce magnificent symphonies. A delicate balance between these elements must be achieved in order to produce a successful campaign.

A typical scenario might go something like this: a person hears an ad on the radio, then reads a story about it in the newspaper, then sees that his employer is conducting an orientation about it, and then discovers that the local chamber of commerce is sponsoring a contest to promote it. This person will be much more likely to take notice than if they had only heard the ad.

Not monitoring and evaluating progress
Always remember to regularly put on the brakes and evaluate the effectiveness of your media and communications efforts. Never assume that your initial plan is foolproof. There are many ways to determine how things are going. The number of phone calls or inquiries, the number of hits on a web site, and informal surveys are all ways to gauge the effect of your actions.

These five pitfalls have undermined many well-intentioned campaigns. Take this opportunity to stop and think through how you are marketing to and communicating with your audiences. Put yourself in their shoes and ask: "What have I read or heard recently that would cause me to change my usual way of doing things?" If the answer is "not much," it's time to consider modifying your approach to align more closely with the values and the priorities of your audiences and to address the harsh realities of today's overcrowded and complex communications marketplace.