Pacific Surfliner COVID-19 Communications - Electronic Media
Target Audience: The Pacific Surfliner route spans 351-miles through six counties in Southern California, from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. It is the busiest state-supported intercity passenger rail route in the United States with an annual ridership of nearly 3 million (pre-COVID). The service was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as travel sharply declined across the state. As an essential service providing critical transportation options to the communities we serve, it was imperative for us to communicate detailed and timely information about schedules, travel policies, and safety measures to the following audiences: 1. General Public / Travelers in Southern California 2. Pacific Surfliner Passengers 3. Stakeholders and Partners
Strategy Objective:Electronic media allowed us to share important updates to wide audiences at little to no cost, and gave us the flexibility to make immediate updates as new information became available. The Pacific Surfliner website acted as the hub of our campaign, highlighting important travel information, safety enhancements, and rider tips through dedicated web pages and blog articles. Social media informed potential riders and maintained a connection with those who postponed travel plans. Videos distributed over broadcast helped us reach wide audiences, and were placed at no cost thanks to goodwill placements offered by our partners. Messaging prioritized essential travel and safety during the initial stages of the pandemic, followed by inspirational messaging about moving Southern California forward.
Situation Challenge: The Pacific Surfliner attracts leisure and business travelers, two groups which largely stopped traveling during the pandemic. This, paired with statewide stay-at-home orders, led to a 95% drop in ridership for the Pacific Surfliner in spring 2020. The train is an essential service, so it continued to operate, but schedules were reduced to meet current demand, and enhanced safety measures were put in place to keep passengers and crews safe. The challenge was to communicate updates to the public quickly, accurately and effectively. Conditions continued to evolve, requiring frequent adjustments to messaging that made it difficult to utilize traditional communications channels like print media. At the same time, efforts had to be implemented at minimal cost due to budget constraints.
Results Impact: By effectively utilizing digital channels, our safety and service updates reached hundreds of thousands of people at a minimal cost. Since the start of the pandemic, our dedicated travel advisory and safety webpages on the Pacific Surfliner website were visited 70,000 times. Videos aimed to build confidence in the service and share forward-looking messages of hope were viewed more than 115,000 times on YouTube and Facebook. More than 170 posts were shared across our social media channels, resulting in nearly 800,000 impressions and 43,000 interactions (likes, comments and clicks), which helped us remain engaged with riders at a time when they were not traveling. Additionally, 1,200 courtesy (no-cost) radio and broadcast spots ran on major stations, reaching broad audiences.
Why Submit: Electronic media played a critical role in the Pacific Surfliner's COVID-19 communications at a time when budgets and resources were limited and the need to communicate was greater than ever. Due to the evolving nature of public health conditions and service adjustments, it was critical to leverage channels that allowed us to adjust messaging and distribute information in a timely and cost-effective manner. Messages were shared through the Pacific Surfliner website and social media channels, which have an established network of thousands of customers and potential travelers (exactly who we needed to reach). Updates were shared to extended audiences through courtesy placements from our partners in broadcast and radio, demonstrating the effectiveness of working with others in the community.