Student Adventure Pass

Target Audience: Our primary target audience were students attending schools near a Metrolink station, but we broke that down further to focus communications to students who lived on campus (GenZ, socially-conscious, emotionally driven, cost-conscious and wants adventure) and students who commuted school (GenZ or millennial, budget-conscious, needs reliability, functionally-driven, may work full-time, wants productivity and connection). Our secondary audience were administrators at schools, community stakeholders, and parents.

Strategy Objective:Going into the campaign we knew it was a daunting task to reach over 2 million students in Southern California. We were determined to reach new students and influence their transportation habits for school, work and leisure. We launched a multipronged marketing approach, but it was the power of partnerships that amplified messaging and propelled the success of the campaign. Our strategic outreach strategy resulted in over 35 colleges promoting the campaign through their channels. We increased visibility with a street team that engaged with students to download the app and assisted with trip-planning. Partnerships were integral to reaching our targeted audience, increasing awareness of Metrolink, and laying the foundation for future riders to choose public transit as their preferred option.

Situation Challenge: As most transit agencies, Metrolink's ridership is still recovering from the pandemic. Students only account for 17% of our overall ridership, up from 7% of overall ridership in March 2020. Recognizing the potential from this ridership growth and with over 60 colleges near a Metrolink station, not including countless tech and trade schools, we envisioned a new program that would enable students to access higher education and enhance equity in the region. Students represent a significant opportunity to engage a new generation of riders. Encouraging students to utilize public transportation while pursuing higher education and for leisure travel can help make them become accustomed to the benefits of public transportation and retain them as riders when they become part of the workforce.

Results Impact: As of this submission, results have been outstanding with 18,465 new student accounts created, compared to 1,245 in the same period in 2022. There were 28,204 mobile app activations and 52,797 paper tickets printed. The press release generated significant media coverage, resulting in 40 mentions and reaching an impressive audience of 45,481,437. The ad value equivalency reached an outstanding $1,708,518. The campaign achieved remarkable engagement on the website, with 92,985 page views from 63,433 users. Notably, the campaign saw a substantial increase of 265.3% in total users and 264.8% in total views compared to the previous 30 days. The email campaign surpassed industry averages with a 46.57% open rate and a 5.36% click-through rate, effectively driving user interaction.

Why Submit: The campaign was not only a great opportunity to drive new student ridership and engage with a younger generation, but it removed barriers to accessing higher education and new communities in Southern California that seemed out of reach. We engaged a new generation of riders and helped bridge the gap to make public transportation a catalyst for positive change. We pushed ourselves to create new partnerships to introduce new people to public transit. We leveraged a new generation of younger marketing professionals to develop fun, bright creative that resonated with them to create an impactful campaign, helping students to redefine mobility and integrating transit into their everyday lives.