North Texas Xpress Campaign Supporting Overview-78e6acd5

North Texas Xpress Bus Service – Successful Partnership, Regional Transportation Expansion and Increased Ridership RESEARCH The launch of the North Texas Xpress was a great opportunity for the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) to partner with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA) and launch bus service on a fast-growing corridor in North Texas that is a key component of the agency’s long-range service planning DCTA worked with internal staff, external transit planning vendors and Fort Worth Transportation Authority to plan the launch of the new commuter bus service that runs along Interstate 35E from Denton and Fort Worth PLANNING One of the biggest campaign challenges was to develop a strategic marketing plan to launch the service in a short time frame DCTA worked with FWTA to strategically plan marketing efforts for each agency to ensure exposure and awareness for the new commuter bus service The plan included two phases:  Phase One – North Texas Xpress service launch in September 2016  Phase Two – North Texas Xpress Denton Park and Ride location launch in March 2017 The main goal of the campaign was to successfully launch the new commuter bus service in partnership with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA) and be the transportation mode of choice for commuters in Fort Worth in Denton Key target audiences for the campaign were Fort Worth residents, Denton residents, university students, commuters, Fort Worth and Denton local businesses and organizations EXECUTION The North Texas Xpress commuter bus service officially launched on September 26, 2016, and DCTA launched its marketing campaign to support the launch with the following tactical efforts: Online Advertising  DCTA worked with its agency of record – HCK2 Partners – to have a Denton Record-Chronicle pop up ad takeover and targeted display banner ads to drive traffic to the agency’s North Texas Xpress service webpage Out of Home Advertising (Billboards)  HCK2 strategically placed in Denton to drive awareness to targeted audiences on behalf of DCTA Direct Mailer  A targeted mailing list and direct mailer was sent to introduce the new Denton Park and Ride to potential riders Facility and Vehicle Signage  Print collateral (posters, rail cards, etc.) was developed and featured on DCTA vehicles, at DCTA’s transit center and on stop blades to increase visibility for the new North Texas Xpress bus service and Denton Park and Ride location Media Relations  DCTA partnered with FWTA for a joint news release to announce the new North Texas Xpress commuter bus service and Denton Park and Ride location Social Media Marketing  The agency promoted the new service launch and new Denton Park and Ride location on Facebook and Twitter to increase awareness Promotional Marketing Video  DCTA created a short promo video to announce new Denton Park and Ride location for the North Texas Xpress service to appeal to targeted online audiences Marketing Eblast  DCTA sent an email blast announcement of the new Denton Park and Ride location to key audiences Community Outreach  The agency participated in a job fair in targeted area (Alliance) on the North Texas Xpress service route to bring awareness to service and new Denton Park and Ride location RESULTS The North Texas Xpress service and Denton Park and Ride location marketing campaign launch produced great results: North Texas Xpress Ridership  8,219 total ridership since launch (September 26, 2016 to May 31, 2017) On average, more than 900 people boarded the North Texas Xpress service each month Total Advertising Efforts  Online, billboard and direct mail – 2,136,663 impressions Social Media Marketing  Facebook – 25,477 total people reached with 456 total engagements  Twitter – 53,246 impressions with 3,411 total engagements Media Relations  Seven total media articles secured with 3,000,000 impressions and a publicity value of nearly $76,000 Email Marketing  One e-blast message distributed to 1,340 riders with a 26 percent open rate and percent click-through rate Community Outreach  567 impressions (Alliance Job Fair) Promotional Video  69 total views and one share Campaign Highlights Advertising BILLBOARD ONLINE AD Marketing Collateral POSTER A-TRAIN PLATFORM MARKETING SIGNAGE PARK AND RIDE SIGN Media Relations Social Media Coverage Email Marketing Promotional Video Video Link: https://youtu.be/imro4CvSrfg ... the North Texas Xpress service route to bring awareness to service and new Denton Park and Ride location RESULTS The North Texas Xpress service and Denton Park and Ride location marketing campaign. .. great results: North Texas Xpress Ridership  8,219 total ridership since launch (September 26, 2016 to May 31, 2017) On average, more than 900 people boarded the North Texas Xpress service each...  DCTA created a short promo video to announce new Denton Park and Ride location for the North Texas Xpress service to appeal to targeted online audiences Marketing Eblast  DCTA sent an email