Marketing, communication and promotion

 

  

Marketing, communication and promotion are key to mobility management. Just offering a (technical) solution will not do. First of all people need to be aware of the new possibilities and secondly, people should be encouraged to make actual use of the solution. And not just at the launch of the new measure, but continuously to guarantee its use in the long term.


 

Marketing and communication implies a strategy regarding the wishes and need of the travellers, planning and implementation of activities and the identification and involvement of relevant stakeholders. Meanwhile promotion activities can be seen as being the operational, visible ways of informing end users about transport solutions.


 

In the case of OPTIMUM² there have been a whole series of promotional activities. Many leaflets, booklets and posters have been developed and distributed on biking schemes, shuttle buses and the benefits of walking/cycling. Moreover, at each site a dedicated website on accessibility has been developed. Innovative examples of promotion include postcards and chocolate bars in Bankside (Southwark) and the health campaign in Ede.

 

 

Structural marketing and communication strategies have been less obvious within OPTIMUM², although some key elements of marketing have been put in place, as shown below. To read more about examples of successfull marketing of transport solutions outside OPTIMUM², click here.  

 

 

Putting the wishes and needs of travellers centre stage


At several of the OPTIMUM² sites extensive research has been conducted among staff, patients and visitors to identify mobility patterns, accessibility problems and commitment for certain solutions. Good examples include Gelre Hospitals, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and Amsterdam Southern Business Areas.

 

Also, many solutions involved tailored advice, such as the personal travel advice and dedicated websites, in which the wishes and needs of the traveller form the starting point. For more information, click here.

 

Involvement of relevant stakeholders

In Southwark, a key part of the marketing strategy was to include businesses themselves in the design and promotion of measures through the setting up of Local Travel Plan Groups. Furthermore, annual meetings were used to involve not just the local travel plan group members, but other relevant stakeholders, such as Transport for London, other Southwark Council officers and those concerned with urban planning in the area.  


At Goudse Poort a ‘tasjesactie’ (bag action) was held to gain insight in future building or moving plans of companies and obtain a actual database with contact persons. Moreover, the accessibility of Goudse Poort was made an unique selling point within the city marketing of Gouda, thus raising much commitment with elected officials.  


Amsterdam Southern Business Areas successfully used accessibility maps to demonstrate the impacts of road works and (future) capacity problems. The visual reproduction of measures and impacts has been most helpful to involve companies!

 

 

Planning and implementation of activities

 

A mobility manager has been appointed or a mobility service point established in many of the pilot sites. This serves as a central help desk for employers as well as employees. In this way demand for and supply of mobility services can be more easily coordinated. This has also enabled one person to be responsible for mobility management services and to have an overview on all activities.

 

Good examples include: Hilversum Media Park, Ede Business Areas and Amsterdam Southern Business Areas.


Even better: at Goudse Poort, mobility management has been integrated within the park management function, making  mobility management an issue for the owners organisation/employers instead of it being an imposition of the municipality.