San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) 50th Anniversary Community Outreach

Target Audience: The target audience for these efforts included: - BART staff, retirees, and board members - Daily commuters, occasional riders and general public - Elected officials and community partners

Strategy Objective:The strategy/objective of this outreach effort was to Celebrate 50 years of BART serving the Bay Area - Remind the public of the importance of BART's role to the region now and into the future - Celebrate the contributions of our staff, retirees and community partners - Celebrate our riders, the general public and elected officials for their long-standing support of BART and its mission - Engage public, employees, elected officials and community partners - Promote positive perceptions of the BART system and to ultimately increase ridership

Situation Challenge: On Sept. 11, 2022, BART celebrated fifty years of service since its 1972 opening. It was an auspicious milestone for an organization that provides so much more than transportation to a region it's now served for five decades. To memorialize this milestone, BART set out on a year-long initiative to educate the public of BART's history and service to the Bay Area, honor the contributions of our dedicated employees, and celebrate the communities that BART supports each day. To achieve this, we engaged in a variety of in-person and online events, utilized digital, print and radio advertising, leveraged thematic merchandising, created new communications channels including a dedicated microsite, and produced large format installation pieces for stations and BART headquarters.

Results Impact: BART directly engaged its target audience with: - More than 5,000 people attending events in-person - Millions more reached online via streaming, microsite, web ads and radio - Over $85K in sales of 50th merchandise, with both the Holiday Sweaters and Ornaments selling out. Based on a survey of riders regarding the 50% Off September discount: - 68% of riders knew about the discount and 50th anniversary - 21% rode BART more than usual - Ads/posts on social media and digital ads increased awareness - Discount increased airport trips (16% made airport trips in Sep-22 v. 11% in Aug-22) The greatest impact was evident at the 50th Birthday event, where enthusiasts and general riders alike came out in large numbers to celebrate BART's 50 years of service and show their BART pride.

Why Submit: This entry honors BART staff who organized, designed and executed an incredible year-long celebration of BART's history, people and dedication to the Bay Area. Besides event planner for logistics at the 50th Birthday Party and Music Series, all efforts were the work of BART staff. Including: - Project Manager - Committee (Mktg, Comms, Cust Svcs and Art Program along with reps from multiple depts) - Merch (Cust Svcs) - Merch design, advertising, radio, collateral, signs & displays (3-person creative team) - Setup (Facilities) - Wayfinding (Cust Access) - 50th expenses were offset by sponsorships (PM and GCR team) These efforts strengthened community relationships at this difficult time for public transit, inspiring both public and staff as BART leads the way for the next 50 years.