30 Millionth Rider Celebration

Target Audience: An event to celebrate the 30 millionth rider to the Link Transit system was planned in 2021 to reward current riders for their loyalty during more than three decades of service. Additionally, the creation of an event to mark the occasion gave Link a platform to inform community members (both riders and non riders) of the significant ridership achievement. A video was created for social media, press releases were distributed and a party was organized for one of our commuter lines where we anticipated reaching the landmark 30 millionth ride.

Strategy Objective:The strategy of this entry was to use an actual event (achieving the 30 millionth ride) to create a buzz around the service Link Transit provides. Knowing when this milestone was to be achieved gave us an opportunity to collect documentary footage and live interviews in a way that could be presented professionally as a marketing tool to attract ridership.

Situation Challenge: With the anticipation of reaching the 30 millionth rider mark, the Link Transit marketing team was looking for ways to use that milestone to achieve positive media recognition and create unique ridership video footage featuring the 30 millionth rider. We wanted to create an event that could mark the occasion in "real time." Knowing that we would reach the number during our Chelan to Wenatchee trip on a certain day, we boarded the bus with balloons, party favors and trivia questions to create a celebratory atmosphere for the video and still footage.

Results Impact: Through press releases, a video premier featuring the 30 millionth rider and social media posts Link Transit was able to achieve greater public awareness of the service the agency provides for communities in North Central Washington.

Why Submit: This entry should be recognized because it shows how the Link Transit marketing team can capitalize on a major milestone for the organization to create greater awareness in the community of the services provided by the agency.