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Center Identification Number: 77810 Project Title: Utilizing Information Technology in Innovative Marketing Approaches for Public TransportationCo-Principal Investigators:
William Morris, Senior Research Associate Rob Gregg, Program Director Institution:Center for Urban Transportation Research External Project Contact:
Elizabeth Stutts I. Project Objective/Problem StatementAccording to a Neilsen/Net Ratings survey in 2004, 203.4 million people in the U.S. have access to the internet, representing 75 percent of the U.S. population.2 According to a-stat-a-day.com, in the second quarter of 2007 there are 1.1 billion people worldwide who use the internet, a 220 percent increase over the estimated 361 million in 2000. 3 The explosion of the Internet has created opportunities for innovative marketing approaches from Avatars to YouTube to myspace. Defining the term, “innovative” for transit marketers means public transportation organizations can use an array of low-cost (e.g., blogs, wikis, and podcasts) and/or targeted incentive tactics (e.g., individualized marketing, cash for trial use) to increase use of alternatives to driving alone. Unconventional marketing approaches could increase ridership by maximizing the impact of declining marketing budgets to reach new markets. With advances in technology (e.g., SmartCards and mobile wireless access on buses), creation of free online tools such as Google transit, Carpoolworld.com, and proliferation of global-positioning system enabled cell phones, more public transportation systems are expected to apply these new but currently unconventional marketing approaches. This project begins with the hypothesis that the opportunity for new marketing approaches is unlimited while the potential remains largely untapped. II. Objectives/TasksThe objective of this study is to scan the internet and other information technology sources to identify innovative marketing techniques that have been attempted to date by, in and surrounding the public transportation industry, and to solicit ideas for more unconventional applications that transit agencies and TDM professionals can consider. There will be a special focus on low cost, high impact techniques that can be easily and quickly employed to reach target markets and audiences. The study will also provide tools for transit agencies to use the various sources for their own tailored marketing approaches. Task 1: Project ManagementThis task will deal with on-going management activities of the project, preparing progress reports, and reviewing and editing final deliverables. Task 2: Literature ReviewThis task will examine literature from a multitude of academic and non-academic disciplines including business, entertainment, internet, and retail books to gain an understanding of the overall environment of marketing approaches on the internet. The review will include the transit industry as there are transit and TDM strategies already in use on popular internet websites, but could also include other public sector arenas and/or industries similar to transit. Task 3: Establish a Steering Committee of Public Transportation Marketing ProfessionalsNCTR will use its extensive listserv subscriber base (over 3,000 transit and TDM professionals around the world) to identify unconventional applications and solicit ideas. A steering committee made up of Florida marketing, ACT and APTA marketing professionals will guide the project. Task 4: Research and Document Public Transit Industry's Innovative Uses of Marketing Applications and Internet Based TechnologiesThis task will build on the literature review by locating actual applications of unconventional marketing approaches. This task will focus on:
Task 5: Development of a "Web-based Resource WorkBook"The completion of tasks 1 through 4 will be necessary in order to shape and organize this task, which will be the development of a web-based resource workbook that can be accessed by marketing professionals throughout Florida and the nation. It is anticipated that a subconsultant will be retained to help shape the ultimate structure of this workbook and engage in the “hard” web development activities that will realize the final workbook. CUTR will submit a formal subconsultant scope of services and separate budget sheet to FDOT when this task is ready to be defined. The initial concept for the interactive workbook, to be defined and refined, is that it will become a downloadable document with a web-based environment that will contain embedded links to videos, databases, interactive chat, weblogs, and may have a listserv capability that could be hosted on a site like myspace.com. This would give the workbook a dynamic and continuing life as others could post new techniques over time. Task 6: White Paper: Analysis, Observations and RecommendationsTo document the efforts of the study and to provide technology transfer to a wider range of audiences, the study will conclude with a white paper that attempts to answer the following questions:
III. DeliverablesProject deliverables will include quarterly progress reports, a draft and final web-based workbook, and a final White Paper. Progress Reports - Progress reports will be submitted on a quarterly basis to the Research Center for processing. The first progress report will become due 90 days after a Notice to Proceed is issued to the consultant by the Department. They may be sent in MS Word format to Sandra Bell, Contracts Administrator at Sandra.Bell@dot.state.fl.us. Progress reports must include the following information: 1. Contract Number, Work Order Number and Title 2. Work performed during the month 3. Work to be performed in the following month 4. Requested modifications (i.e., to funding, schedule, or scope) *see separate instructions for requesting approval of modifications 5. An updated Exhibit “D” Progress Schedule. Draft Workbook - The draft workbook will be edited for grammar, clarity, organization, and readability prior to submission to the Department for technical approval and posting to internet. The editor providing the review will sign a cover sheet attesting to such review prior to submission. The provision for editorial services will be the Principal Investigator’s responsibility (the author or a designated party may perform the review). It is expected that a well-written, high-quality report will be submitted. Reports failing to meet this requirement will be summarily rejected. The only changes allowable between the draft final report and the final report will be those changes requested by the Project Manager and/or the Research Center. Final White Paper - A minimum of 13 copies of the white paper will be delivered to: The Research Center, 605 Suwannee Street, MS 30, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0450. A camera ready unbound original, and an electronic copy in MS Word format on CD no later than the end date of the RWPO. One electronic copy in MS Word format of a Summary of the Final White Paper to include the following four sections: Background, Objectives and Supporting Tasks, Findings and Conclusions, and the Benefit of the Project. The Summary shall be a separate document and should be approximately 500 words in length. The Final White Paper shall contain a completed Technical Report Documentation Form #F.1700.7, immediately after the title page. The Final White Paper shall contain a page after the Technical Report Documentation Form that states the following: 1. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the State of Florida Department of Transportation, or the U.S. Department of Transportation. 2. Prepared in cooperation with the State of Florida Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Copies of the Final White Paper will be bound with a front and back cover that is acceptable to the Department. . IV. Project Schedule
V. Project Budget
Notes: This budget does not reflect any federal participation. The project team will include faculty, students, and secretarial and other support staff who will work directly on the project and whose costs are reflected in the direct costs of the project as listed above. Budget requests includes salaries for clerical and administrative staff, postage, telephone calls, office supplies, general purpose software, subscriptions, and/or memberships. VI. EquipmentNo need for non-standard equipment is expected for conducting the proposed research. VII. TravelThis NCTR project is fortunate that the Florida Transit Marketing Network will meet at the annual FPTA meeting in Orlando in October as well as the FPTA Mid-year workshop in June 2008. These two conferences are funded from other sources and will not require NCTR travel funds. However, APTA’s national Marketing conference is scheduled for February 2008 in Orlando, FL. Travel expenses include conducting project work, including pre-planned and pre-scheduled interviews with marketing professional at this conference. The purpose of attending the APTA conference is to conduct interviews with marketing professionals and utilize their knowledge, expertise, guidance and ideas in completing the final deliverables. Other travel will include co-PI travel to be determined as possible case studies emerge. VIII. Student InvolvementRob Gregg and William Morris will serve as co-principal investigators for the project with support from a graduate student (Monique Ellis) in conducting the literature review and with assistance of faculty members Holly Carapella, Ann Joslin and Mark Mistretta in conducting tasks three through six. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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National Center for Transit Research · at the Center For Urban Transportation Research · University of South Florida · 4202 E. Fowler Ave., CUT100 · Tampa, FL 33620-5375 · (813) 974-3120 · (813) 974-5168 · www.nctr.usf.edu · Comments: webmaster@cutr.eng.usf.edu |
