Greater Cleveland RTA's Holiday Trains


Target Audience: We've all had a rough year, so what can help to raise the spirits of residents who have been quarantining for months and stuck in a rinse and repeat pattern of daily life? The GCRTA Holiday Trains!

Strategy Objective:From late November until New Year's Eve, GCRTA's Holiday Trains were in service on all three rail lines (Red, Blue and Green). These trains were decked out with interior and exterior lights and festive décor on the inside. To make things even more exciting, Santa even made a few appearances onboard! He passed out toys to children on the nice list, while his GCRTA elves helped keep Greater Clevelanders safe by passing out free masks, hats, gloves and sanitizer to all passengers, regardless of if they were on the naughty or nice list!

Situation Challenge: In a year where nothing felt normal, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) worked to spread a little holiday cheer to those in Northeast Ohio. Much of 2020 was spent discouraging ridership of transit due to COVID-19, and GCRTA was no exception. Trips were for essential purposes and then they weren't. We've all had a rough year, so what can help to raise the spirits of residents who have been quarantining for months and stuck in a rinse and repeat pattern of daily life? The GCRTA Holiday Trains!

Results Impact: During this time, our social engagement was particularly high. The #holidaytrains was used to track engagement and was used nearly 100 times. Our average views on Instagram stories are typically around 150, and each #holidaytrain post and story netted over 250, and some up to 300 views per photo/video. Many riders expressed interest in tracking the trains via Twitter using the designated hashtag. Videos and pictures were shared on all of our social channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) as well as on YouTube. The three YouTube videos amounted more than 800 views in just a few weeks! Comments were generally very positive, and the community has challenged us to decorate buses as well in 2021!

Why Submit: 2020 brought many new and awkward lifestyle changes: a global pandemic, state-wide curfews and shutdowns, a run to buy up all the hand sanitizer and toilet paper, and a "new normal" that includes wearing a mask and social distancing from others. GCRTA worked to create a festive atmosphere that would help to brighten the days of Greater Clevelanders throughout the region and help remind them of the reason for the holiday season. This campaign should win an AdWheel because we achieved just that. By allowing our teams to continue with the Holiday Trains in 2020, we brought joy to thousands and helped to mask up the region in the process.