OVERVIEW OF BRANDING & COMMUNICATIONS
Case studies of Indore & Bhopal BRT projects10th March 2014
Arnab RoySr. Project Associate – Urban Transport, EMBARQ India
WHY BRANDING/MARKETING IS IMPORTANTEspecially in Public Transport projects
Creates awareness, especially for the new system
Builds confidence in the new system
Apprises general public of the benefits of the system
Encourages public participation and sense of ownership
Initiated • 2007
Length of route • 11.46 km
Road section • 31.6 / 60 metres
System type • Closed• Median stations
Stations • 21
Headway • 5 minutes (average)
Type of bus • Standard, 12m• Air conditioned• 900 mm Floor• 245 hp, BS III engine
Completed • 31st March 2013
Operations • 10th May 2013
INDORE BRT (iBus): SYSTEM OVERVIEW
RIDERSHIP GROWTHUnprecedented increase within mere months
Befor
e BRT
12 -
16 Ju
n 20
13
17 -
23 Ju
n 20
13
24 -
30 Ju
n 20
13
01 -
07 Ju
l 201
3
08 -
14 Ju
l 201
3
15 -
21 Ju
l 201
3
22 -
28 Ju
l 201
3
29 -
04 A
ug 2
013
05 -
11 A
ug 2
013
12 -
18 A
ug 2
013
19 -
25 A
ug 2
013
26 -
01 S
ep 2
013
02 -
08 S
ep 2
013
09 -
15 S
ep 2
013
16 -
22 S
ep 2
013
23 -
29 S
ep 2
013
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000300% Increase in 4 months
BUT THINGS WEREN’T ALWAYS POSITIVE!Project faced immense criticism
Renewed approach towards garnering public support was the need of the
hourInnovation and Creativity
INVOLVE THE GENERAL PUBLICCreate sense of ownership!
Ahilya Marg
Highline Corridor
Malwa Busway Metro
Superfast
IndoLink iBus
Metroshine
TransMalwa
Udaan
Indore IntelligentInnovation
EVOLVE THE BRANDEvaluate options
FINAL BRANDING LAYOUTAesthetics and Sensibilities
OTHER BRANDING ELEMENTSDon’t stop just at the bus…
WHERE TO DO MARKETING?External as well as Internal
External
Internal
MULTI-TIERED APPROACHEach element with an objective
Raise general BRT Awareness – include other road users
Reach out to student, professional and community groups
Actively engage with and inform media
Keep internal flock together
Use of print as well as video media
Multi-phased system launch
BRT WILL BENEFIT ALL ROAD USERS!
Extensive Outreach Efforts
Multi-tiered approach
EXTERNAL MARKETING – PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS WITH STUDENTS
FOCUS GROUP TOURS WITH STUDENTS
FOCUS GROUP TOURS WITH LOCAL POLITICIANS
FOCUS GROUP TOURS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES
FOCUS GROUP TOURS WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES
EXTENSIVE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIAHigh impact on youth acceptance of iBus
www.facebook.com/IndoreBRT
FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS WITH INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS WITH INDORE POLICE
USE OF PRINT MEDIALeaflets for wider public dissemination
USE OF PRINT MEDIAPeriodic Newsletters (MyBus, Bhopal)
Courtesy: C Shukla, BCLL
USE OF PRINT MEDIAPassenger Information Handouts (MyBus, Bhopal)
SPACE FOR ADVERTISING
Courtesy: C Shukla, BCLL
USE OF RADIOLocal FM Radio Chat Sessions (MyBus, Bhopal)
Courtesy: C Shukla, BCLL
USE OF HIGH QUALITY IMAGERYHelps in creating bigger impact in peoples’ perception
INDORE BRT
BHOPAL BRTCourtesy: C Shukla, BCLL
ENGAGE WITH MEDIAMedia interaction is key for reaching out to the general public
FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS WITH LOCAL MEDIA
CHANGED REACTION OF MEDIASlightly changed post the marketing efforts
Phased project launch
Gradual introduction to the general public
19th APRIL 2013: DRY RUN LAUNCH
10th MAY 2013: FREE PASSENGER TRIAL LAUNCH
12th JUNE 2013: PAID SERVICES LAUNCH
BUT THIS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ENOUGH
Legal Hurdles
BUT THIS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ENOUGH!Litigations surround both the BRT projects at present
BUT THIS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ENOUGH!Litigations surround both the BRT projects at present
WHILE ON THE OTHER HAND…Project has been recognized at the international level recently
CONCLUSIONSWhat can we learn?
Have a planCohesive, Comprehensive & Transparent
Communicate the plan and keep updatingTo stakeholdersTo general public – it has to be peoples’ projectTo media – very important!To internal stakeholders: core work group
Use diverse media channelsPrintVideoRadioSocial
THANK YOU!