MARTA Celebrates LGBTQ Employees

Target Audience: The campaign focused on MARTA employees, riders, and metro Atlanta residents who identify as members or allies of the LGBTQ+ community. This initiative aimed to engage and retain existing employees and attract potential employees by showcasing MARTA's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and allyship within its workforce.

Strategy Objective:The objective was to celebrate LGBTQ+ employees, foster allyship among employees, and engage the Atlanta community to communicate that MARTA is a safe, welcoming employer. MARTA leveraged external partnerships to extend reach and amplify impact. Those partners were Atlanta United (the city's Major League Soccer team), Midtown Alliance (district improvement nonprofit), and Atlanta Pride (advocacy and resource organization). Initiatives included ERG-led employee education and volunteerism; tabling, giveaways, and custom graphics at Atlanta United's Pride Night (where Pride ERG employees received free tickets); vibrant bus wraps designed by local LGBTQ+ artists; a bus reveal event plus Pride festivities; and bus appearance with employees in Atlanta's annual Pride Parade.

Situation Challenge: In 2024, MARTA launched PRIDE with MARTA, its newest Employee Resource Group (ERG), under the Department of Diversity & Inclusion (D&I), to foster a supportive workplace and community for LGBTQ+ individuals. Recognizing the need to engage employees, riders, and the broader Atlanta LGBTQ+ community, the campaign leveraged collaboration across internal teams (D&I, the ERG, Artbound, Marketing, Communications, Bus Operations, and more) and external partners to celebrate Pride, build awareness, and encourage employee participation across the Authority.

Results Impact: The campaign reinforced MARTA's reputation as a welcoming, inclusive workplace and brand, and facilitated employee camaraderie between LGBTQ+ employees and allies. This type of engagement is essential for employee satisfaction and retention. Internally, the campaign provided education opportunities to foster allyship, while externally, it strengthened MARTA's connection to Atlanta's LGBTQ+ community. Direct engagement events reached over 550 participants, digital platforms garnered 115,000 impressions (social media, email, web, and news coverage), and the four Pride-themed buses were seen by more than 1.3 million people by appearing in Atlanta's annual Pride Parade and traversing the city in revenue service. The campaign's reach boosted brand loyalty and deepened MARTA's community impact.

Why Submit: This campaign deserves recognition for its innovative integration of art, education, marketing, and community engagement to support workforce development and retention. By celebrating LGBTQ+ employees and fostering allyship, MARTA demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, which is even more important to prospective employees in a time when other corporations are eliminating or scaling back DEI programs. The campaign's creative initiatives, from artist-designed bus wraps to ERG-led outreach, effectively bridged internal employee engagement and external public pride, setting a new standard for inclusivity in transit workforce campaigns.