Using Social Marketing to Change Travel Behavior Case Study: City of Bellevue
ECOMM 2008 June 2008
Agenda
What is Social Marketing? Case Study: City of Bellevue
Why did the City develop a social marketing campaign? What techniques were used? What were the results? What lessons were learned?
What is Social Marketing?
• Process that uses commercial marketing techniques to change behavior • An approach the benefits the users and society as a whole versus the marketer • Technique has been used to: • Personal health • Drug abuse • Smoking • Recycling
Case Study: City of Bellevue
• Bellevue is part of the urban hub of Puget Sound • Population: 117,000 residents • Employment: 121,000 jobs
Bellevue Enjoys a High Quality of Life
• Median Income: $76,757 • Median Housing Value: $364,920 • One of the 25 safest cities in USA • Major companies include high technology
Transportation Challenges
• Bellevue’s traffic congestion ranks among the top 5 U.S. Cities • All major highways are failing level of service standards • Traffic congestion leads to lost productivity, stress, and wasted fuel
Causes for Traffic Congestion
• Love Affair with Automobiles (2 cars/household) • Land Use Patterns • Lack of Mass Transit System • Lack of Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities
City of Bellevue’s Policy Goal
“To reduce the use of single-occupant vehicles and vehicle miles traveled, through a coordinated program of regulations, marketing, and provision of alternative travel options.”
City’s Campaign to Change Travel Behavior
City started campaign in mid 1990s to change travel habits Focus on both commuters and residents Used grass roots approach
Approach for Developing the Campaign
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Talk to the target audience Segment the audience Position the product Know the competition Go to where the audience is Utilize a variety of approaches Use models that work Test, test, test Build partnerships with key allies See what you can do better next time
Goals of the Campaign
• Increase awareness of consequences of reliance on automobile travel • Increase awareness of travel alternatives • Educate residents, commuters and students on how to use alternative travel • Develop strong support • Increase usage of alternative travel
Campaign Strategy
• Multi-Media Promotions • Middle School Education Program • Residential Transit Pass Program • Downtown Bellevue Commuter Club Program
Multi-Media Promotions
• Created profiles of commuters who actively use alternative travel options • Advertised commute options in local newspapers • Created a web site • Developed public information announcements and broadcast through the city’s cable channel • Prepared news releases • Conducted transportation fairs • Presentations to students, business and neighborhood groups • Set up bike stations at community events
Middle School Education Program
• Curriculum created to teach middle school students about alternative travel
Residential Transit Pass Program
• Selected multi-family buildings to participate • Distributed a free annual transit pass to each resident • Residents were required to survey • Apartment managers were required to distribute and promote transit
Downtown Bellevue Commuter Club
• Modeled after a “frequent flyer program” • Rewarded commuters for using alternative travel options • Solicited participation from local merchants
Campaign Results
• Two middle schools participated in education program • 85% of residents became aware of “One Less Car” Campaign and their travel options • Transit ridership increased by 25% at participating multi-family sites. • Drive alone rate for commuters reduced from 85% to 65% over a four-year period
Lessons Learned from Campaign
1. Social marketing is most effective when there is a core group of champions 2. Campaign was most effective with younger audiences 3. Campaign should be built around larger global issues 4. Campaign needs to be monitored and evaluated on a regular basis
Questions?
Jonathan Dong, AICP jonathan98103@yahoo.com