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TCAT Marketing Proposal

J
JimmyKnowles1

A Marketing proposal for the TCAT, a public transportation system based out of Ithaca, New York. This proposal was presented directly to the clients and many of the strategies and tactics were directly implemented. I did the design and layout and contributed to the research and tactical planning.

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TCAT Marketing Proposal
Contents situational analysis 2 swot analysis 3 primary research 4 Presentation By secondary research 5 target audience 6 Jimmy Knowles Kirsten Quinn communication methods 7 Hillary Duchovnay Beth Jones campaign implementation 8 budget 10 conclusion 11
situational history analysis The Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, TCAT, was formed in 1998 by merging three public transit systems of the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County and Cornell University. While the consolidation of these three routes is relatively recent the City of Ithaca and Cornell University established independent bus systems in the 1960s. These systems developed successfully, growing into surrounding suburbs and rural towns throughout the seventies and eighties. Tompkins Country began developing suburban and rural routes, forming the TOMTRAN. The TOMTRAN offered busing services to Dryden, Caroline and Newark Valley. The route eventually extended into Groton, Newfield, Ulysses, Landsing and Danby. The growth continued in 1992 when the City of Ithaca, Cornell and Tompkins County built a $5 million transit facility that would serve as a base for transit operations and fleet maintenance. In 1996 the New York State legislature adopted a state law that authorized TCAT to be created as a joint partnership, as a government entity. This led to the establishment of TCAT as a public entity in 1998. In 20045 TCAT re-defined itself as a non-profit corporation called, TCAT, Inc. Currently the board of directors is composed of representatives from the City of Ithaca, Cornell University, and Tompkins County. timeline In order to successfully implement the campaign we believe that the orientation materials and the myTCAT mobile application should be launched in August. As Freshman learn to use the TCAT, they can also incorporate the use of the mobile app into their daily life. As students get more comfortable with TCAT and begin to use it more often, the contest will open in January. Students will have 4 months to submit and vote for videos. The contest will close in April when the winners will be announced.
strengths The strengths of the TCAT include a strong presence in the community and an affordable and convenient mean of transportation. The major presence that the TCAT has in the local community indicates that the TCAT is swot analysis a well-known and recognized means weaknesses of transportation. The TCAT is also an affordable means of transportation. Community members can take advantage of the TCAT services for a A major weakness of the TCAT is the unreliability and delays that often low cost and do not need to deal with occur on routes. The delays occur for many different reasons such the high costs that are associated with as traffic and weather conditions. However, TCAT users are unable to other forms of transportation. The predict when the TCAT is not on time, making it appear to be unreliable. TCAT can be accessed conveniently This weakness causes individuals to be hesitant when relying on the at the many bus stops located around TCAT in time sensitive situations. Tompkins County. There are many potential opportunities for the TCAT to increase There are existing threats to the A strong threats a sense of popularity among college students. The recent push TCAT that must be combated. One presence in the for sustainability on college campuses and within the Ithaca major threat is that the majority of Community may encourage students to find more sustainable college students have their own methods of transportation. The TCAT can also target incoming freshman classes that may not have a personal car and need a personal vehicle. It is difficult to persuade these students to change community and opportunities method of transportation. their transportation habits. Another an afordable and convenient threat is that many students do not know how to fully optimize the TCAT services. Finally, there are many other companies such as Car-Share mean of or Zip-Cars that offer competition to transportation the TCAT, as they provide students with ways of going to campus without using personal cars.
primary survey research The majority of students surveyed answered that their primary method of transportation was their personal car. All of the students responded that they survey questions: have taken the TCAT at some point n their college career. While all of the students 1. What is your class standing? answered that they have taken the TCAT the majority of students answered that 2. What is your primary method of transportation? they take the TCAT less than once a month. We were able to gain insight into 3. Have you ever taken the TCAT bus? 4. If you answered yes to the question above how often do how to encourage students to take the TCAT. Some of the responses we received you use the TCAT? included: A route that goes to the commons around ten and eleven at night and 5. If you answered no, why do you choose not to use the better discounts and schedule. The biggest trend we noticed throughout the TCAT? responses was that people didnt know how the TCAT works. This general sense 6. Is there anything you can think of that would either of unawareness indicates that our campaign needs to focus on awareness and encourage you to use the TCAT more or enhance your current experience? focus group spreading quality information to our target audience of college students. In addition, we conducted an informal focus group with 10 peers about their current feelings and beliefs about the TCAT bus. Although all had admitted using it at least once, only one of the members used the TCAT in the last couple weeks. When asked why the use was so infrequent among all members, these were some of the responses recorded: -I never know when it will show up -I have no idea where it goes and if it will take me where I need to be I have my own car which is a lot more reliable, even if its more expensive We understood that many of these thoughts were negative, soley based upon the lack of knowledge these peers knew about the TCAT. If they had easy access to knowing where and when the next TCAT bus would be, perhaps they would be more prone to using it. Owning a personal car is expensive with the rise of gas prices and the maintenance costs of keeping a car in Ithaca - especially during the winter - so if we believe that if we emphasize the strong benefits of utilizing the TCAT on a more day-to-day basis, we could gain many more loyal customers.
secondary research To fully understand the TCAT and the culture surrounding the use of public transportation in a city much like Ithaca, we took to the TCAT website as well as several other resources to assess successes and failures in other communities similar to that of the Ithaca area. We were able to pull from resources already compiled by the school as well as others in assessing the use of public transportation on the Ithaca College campus in particular and the process into looking at alternative methods of transportation. From this research, we were able to see results of how students assessed the reliability of the TCAT and to what extent they found the most use for it as it pertained to their particular life and day to day activities. Questions included how often they would use the TCAT if they were to add more stops on campus and more specifically, if they would take advantage of the TCAT if it made itself more accessible to the Circle Apartments. A study conducted by the Student Government Association identified the desire for a more reliable inter-campus transportation system and the enhancing of the TCAT route was looked upon as a viable option for what the intended purpose was in regard to this particular case study and how they would progress from that point.
target audience Our campaign is targeting college students, between the ages of 18 and 22, who go to either Ithaca College or Cornell University. Because this campaign is occurring in Ithaca, NY, and being Ithaca College students ourselves, we believe we truly can get into the minds of our target audience to help change a certain behavior. Namely, we wish to promote more bus-riding of the TCAT bus system among these college students, and less use of personal cars. Although we are narrowing our audience to students only in the Ithaca area, we must still generalize our marketing strategies to encompass all students. Therefore, we cannot target specific demographics other than age and current location and we cannot target specific interests, as we are targeting this audience as a whole. Thus, our marketing efforts must be as general as possible, but still keeping our audience in mind with strategies we know typical college students will respond best to. By learning about the various attributes of our generations relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles, we as researchers will be able to fully understand the best way to market to our audience. College students are tech savvy. They have grown up in an age where computers were a common item in every household, and thus, they are dependent upon this technology for every task. They are the first to be in line for the new iPhone, or the new iPad, and flaunt their technology quite a lot, despite the fact most cannot afford such items. Nine out of ten college students own a computer and 82% have a mobile phone; (Quick Study) and their lifestyles revolve around technology - specifically their computers and cell phone use. They must constantly be connected with one another. This generation is often referred to as the Millennial Generation because they have ultimately been shaped by the technological developments and trends of its time. The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through use of the internet, such as email, texting, and IM, and new media used through websites like YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, may explain the Millennials reputation for being somewhat peer-oriented due to easier facilitation of communication through technology. They long to be accepted by their peers, and through the new trends in technology, this has become significantly easier. We have capitalized upon social media through the mobile app we have created, as well as through the incorporation of YouTube with the video submissions. College students are prone to being lazy. As most are away from their homes for the first time in their lives, they refuse to do at-home activities, such as cleaning or cooking. Thus, their dorm rooms are usually trashed, and their credit card bills are extremely high from all of the food ordered to their rooms. And walking to school or looking for a bus schedule is absolutely out of the question, as it requires actual effort. Therefore, we have capitalized upon this aspect when creating the mobile app, as it will give students an easy way to find out when the TCAT is approaching, or how close the nearest stop is. College students have very little money to spend freely, so giving out the 10 free bus rides to freshmen will not only save them money on gas, but encourage riding the extremely inexpensive TCAT in the future. College students are competitive. They love a challenge and have high expectations of self, thus resulting in a competitive nature when it comes to peers, particularly when the prize is something desirable. As a result, weve created the competition for the best TCAT video to encourage students to challenge themselves and one another to create great videos.
communication methods The goal of our communication strategies and methods is to challenge and change the current perceptions of the TCAT in the minds of Ithaca College students. Our research has indicated that students refrain from taking the TCAT based on their belief that this method of transportation is unpredictable and inconvenient. Our communication methods will consist of traditional print media, a mobile application and YouTube videos and will prevent and combat the current perceptions that exist among the Ithaca College student body. We will begin the communication method by educating incoming freshman through promotional material. This will be the first step in our pursuit to make the exchange between students and the TCAT more attractive. The goal of the promotional materials is to prevent incoming students from believing that the TCAT is unpredictable and inconvenient through an increased sense of awareness. The promotional material, coupled with free TCAT bus passes, will allow the students to learn about how the TCAT works and experience it first hand. The promotional material will be clear and instructional, teaching students how to use all of the TCAT features. There will also be a step-by-step guide instructing students on the best way to reach popular destinations such as Wegmans, the Pyramid Mall and the Ithaca Commons. College freshman are often concerned with how they will navigate a new town. The promotional material, geared to the specific needs of college freshman will help make the TCAT a more attractive option. The main goal of the mobile application is to increase the convenience and of the TCAT. We want to make it as easy as possible for college students to use the TCAT by creating a tool that will help our target audience use the bus. We hope to communicate the convenience, reliability and predictability of the TCAT through the mobile application. We plan to communicate the convenience of the TCAT through GPS features that will direct the user to the nearest TCAT bus stop. The GPS function will give the user step-by-step instruction of how to get there and the time of the next bus that will arrive. The time of the bus will take delays into account, increasing the sense of reliability and predictability. Our last method of communication will be a viral video campaign that will be featured on our YouTube page. The main communication goal of the viral video campaign will be to create a sense of community among college students who use the bus. Our deep understanding of the target market indicates the importance of community. This can be seen through the dependence on social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube. Students will be more likely to use the TCAT if they know that their friends and fellow students are using to bus. The competition will revolve around a situation when the TCAT came to the rescue and saved the day. This topic has a main goal of increasing the sense of predictability and convenience associated with the TCAT. The videos will be posted on our YouTube account and will help create a buzz among our target market of college students.
campaign implementation phase 1 The first aspect of the campaign is creating and distributing TCAT orientation materials to incoming freshman and their parents. To connect with students and parents TCAT should first establish a larger presence on campus during summer orientation sessions. Booths will be set up in different spots to distribute pamphlets and information, and presentations will be held for parents who are staying in the area. The presentations can give parents extra information about the services that TCAT provides and explain how easy it will be for their children to access local shops and restaurants during their time at Ithaca College. By having these personalized information sessions with parents they will likely encourage their children not to bring cars to school, cutting down on harmful emissions and increasing the chances that they will use the bus system. When students arrive at school, they will be provided with TCAT orientation materials. This will include a list of useful bus schedules that they could post on their dorm room walls, tips on how to use and ride public transit, and 10 free bus ride vouchers attached to their student ID that they can use within the first month of school. Educating them early and allowing them to try the bus system for free will increase the probability that they will become repeat customers. If students start using and utilizing the TCAT early in their academic career, it will be likely that they will continue to use the TCAT all 4 years that they attend Ithaca College.
campaign implementation phase 2 The second aspect of our campaign will be the development and implementation of a mobile application. We believe that a mobile app will help better connect the TCAT with their current and potential customers. It can be used as a tool to educate people about the different aspects of public transportation and to make it easier for people to find, locate, and use the TCAT. The mobile app will use GPS to locate the customers location and direct them to the nearest bus stop; making riding the t-cat simple, straightforward, and almost effortless. College students will specifically be able to utilize this mobile app by finding phase 3 out when the bus will be stopping on campus, where it will be going, and how they will get back. The third aspect of our proposal will be to implement a contest which will encourage college students to get involved with TCAT. The contest will ask students to submit a short video about a time that TCAT has saved their day. Groups, no larger than 5 people, can e-mail their video submissions to t-cat during the contest. Finalists will be determined by TCAT and their videos will be posted to the TCAT youtube channel where people can like or dislike each video. The video with the most likes at the end of the contest will win free t-cat bus passes for a year. The idea is that the finalists will post their videos on their facebook pages to have their friends vote for their submission, which will increase visibility for TCAT and will act as free publicity and advertising.
budget We plan to spend $1,000.00 to develop a mobile application. The promotional materials will have an approximate cost of $500.00. We plan to give each incoming freshman 10 bus passes this will cost around $50,000.00. While this is a large cost we believe that there will be a large return on investment and all cost will be recovered. Mobile Application $1,000.00 Promotional Materials $500.00 Bus Passes $50, 000.00 $51,500.00 Total
conclusion When put together these 3 projects will help TCAT gain and maintain a new customer base for the future. Many college students do not use TCAT simply because they do not know how to, or find it inaccessible. With the implementation of a freshman orientation program, and a mobile app students will become better educated on how to use the bus system and will likely use it more often. Once students know more about the TCAT, they can interact and become more involved with the TCAT bus system by creating a video submission for the contest. This will give the t-cat more of a presence on the Internet as well as provide the company with free promotion.

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TCAT Marketing Proposal

  • 2. Contents situational analysis 2 swot analysis 3 primary research 4 Presentation By secondary research 5 target audience 6 Jimmy Knowles Kirsten Quinn communication methods 7 Hillary Duchovnay Beth Jones campaign implementation 8 budget 10 conclusion 11
  • 3. situational history analysis The Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, TCAT, was formed in 1998 by merging three public transit systems of the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County and Cornell University. While the consolidation of these three routes is relatively recent the City of Ithaca and Cornell University established independent bus systems in the 1960s. These systems developed successfully, growing into surrounding suburbs and rural towns throughout the seventies and eighties. Tompkins Country began developing suburban and rural routes, forming the TOMTRAN. The TOMTRAN offered busing services to Dryden, Caroline and Newark Valley. The route eventually extended into Groton, Newfield, Ulysses, Landsing and Danby. The growth continued in 1992 when the City of Ithaca, Cornell and Tompkins County built a $5 million transit facility that would serve as a base for transit operations and fleet maintenance. In 1996 the New York State legislature adopted a state law that authorized TCAT to be created as a joint partnership, as a government entity. This led to the establishment of TCAT as a public entity in 1998. In 20045 TCAT re-defined itself as a non-profit corporation called, TCAT, Inc. Currently the board of directors is composed of representatives from the City of Ithaca, Cornell University, and Tompkins County. timeline In order to successfully implement the campaign we believe that the orientation materials and the myTCAT mobile application should be launched in August. As Freshman learn to use the TCAT, they can also incorporate the use of the mobile app into their daily life. As students get more comfortable with TCAT and begin to use it more often, the contest will open in January. Students will have 4 months to submit and vote for videos. The contest will close in April when the winners will be announced.
  • 4. strengths The strengths of the TCAT include a strong presence in the community and an affordable and convenient mean of transportation. The major presence that the TCAT has in the local community indicates that the TCAT is swot analysis a well-known and recognized means weaknesses of transportation. The TCAT is also an affordable means of transportation. Community members can take advantage of the TCAT services for a A major weakness of the TCAT is the unreliability and delays that often low cost and do not need to deal with occur on routes. The delays occur for many different reasons such the high costs that are associated with as traffic and weather conditions. However, TCAT users are unable to other forms of transportation. The predict when the TCAT is not on time, making it appear to be unreliable. TCAT can be accessed conveniently This weakness causes individuals to be hesitant when relying on the at the many bus stops located around TCAT in time sensitive situations. Tompkins County. There are many potential opportunities for the TCAT to increase There are existing threats to the A strong threats a sense of popularity among college students. The recent push TCAT that must be combated. One presence in the for sustainability on college campuses and within the Ithaca major threat is that the majority of Community may encourage students to find more sustainable college students have their own methods of transportation. The TCAT can also target incoming freshman classes that may not have a personal car and need a personal vehicle. It is difficult to persuade these students to change community and opportunities method of transportation. their transportation habits. Another an afordable and convenient threat is that many students do not know how to fully optimize the TCAT services. Finally, there are many other companies such as Car-Share mean of or Zip-Cars that offer competition to transportation the TCAT, as they provide students with ways of going to campus without using personal cars.
  • 5. primary survey research The majority of students surveyed answered that their primary method of transportation was their personal car. All of the students responded that they survey questions: have taken the TCAT at some point n their college career. While all of the students 1. What is your class standing? answered that they have taken the TCAT the majority of students answered that 2. What is your primary method of transportation? they take the TCAT less than once a month. We were able to gain insight into 3. Have you ever taken the TCAT bus? 4. If you answered yes to the question above how often do how to encourage students to take the TCAT. Some of the responses we received you use the TCAT? included: A route that goes to the commons around ten and eleven at night and 5. If you answered no, why do you choose not to use the better discounts and schedule. The biggest trend we noticed throughout the TCAT? responses was that people didnt know how the TCAT works. This general sense 6. Is there anything you can think of that would either of unawareness indicates that our campaign needs to focus on awareness and encourage you to use the TCAT more or enhance your current experience? focus group spreading quality information to our target audience of college students. In addition, we conducted an informal focus group with 10 peers about their current feelings and beliefs about the TCAT bus. Although all had admitted using it at least once, only one of the members used the TCAT in the last couple weeks. When asked why the use was so infrequent among all members, these were some of the responses recorded: -I never know when it will show up -I have no idea where it goes and if it will take me where I need to be I have my own car which is a lot more reliable, even if its more expensive We understood that many of these thoughts were negative, soley based upon the lack of knowledge these peers knew about the TCAT. If they had easy access to knowing where and when the next TCAT bus would be, perhaps they would be more prone to using it. Owning a personal car is expensive with the rise of gas prices and the maintenance costs of keeping a car in Ithaca - especially during the winter - so if we believe that if we emphasize the strong benefits of utilizing the TCAT on a more day-to-day basis, we could gain many more loyal customers.
  • 6. secondary research To fully understand the TCAT and the culture surrounding the use of public transportation in a city much like Ithaca, we took to the TCAT website as well as several other resources to assess successes and failures in other communities similar to that of the Ithaca area. We were able to pull from resources already compiled by the school as well as others in assessing the use of public transportation on the Ithaca College campus in particular and the process into looking at alternative methods of transportation. From this research, we were able to see results of how students assessed the reliability of the TCAT and to what extent they found the most use for it as it pertained to their particular life and day to day activities. Questions included how often they would use the TCAT if they were to add more stops on campus and more specifically, if they would take advantage of the TCAT if it made itself more accessible to the Circle Apartments. A study conducted by the Student Government Association identified the desire for a more reliable inter-campus transportation system and the enhancing of the TCAT route was looked upon as a viable option for what the intended purpose was in regard to this particular case study and how they would progress from that point.
  • 7. target audience Our campaign is targeting college students, between the ages of 18 and 22, who go to either Ithaca College or Cornell University. Because this campaign is occurring in Ithaca, NY, and being Ithaca College students ourselves, we believe we truly can get into the minds of our target audience to help change a certain behavior. Namely, we wish to promote more bus-riding of the TCAT bus system among these college students, and less use of personal cars. Although we are narrowing our audience to students only in the Ithaca area, we must still generalize our marketing strategies to encompass all students. Therefore, we cannot target specific demographics other than age and current location and we cannot target specific interests, as we are targeting this audience as a whole. Thus, our marketing efforts must be as general as possible, but still keeping our audience in mind with strategies we know typical college students will respond best to. By learning about the various attributes of our generations relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles, we as researchers will be able to fully understand the best way to market to our audience. College students are tech savvy. They have grown up in an age where computers were a common item in every household, and thus, they are dependent upon this technology for every task. They are the first to be in line for the new iPhone, or the new iPad, and flaunt their technology quite a lot, despite the fact most cannot afford such items. Nine out of ten college students own a computer and 82% have a mobile phone; (Quick Study) and their lifestyles revolve around technology - specifically their computers and cell phone use. They must constantly be connected with one another. This generation is often referred to as the Millennial Generation because they have ultimately been shaped by the technological developments and trends of its time. The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through use of the internet, such as email, texting, and IM, and new media used through websites like YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, may explain the Millennials reputation for being somewhat peer-oriented due to easier facilitation of communication through technology. They long to be accepted by their peers, and through the new trends in technology, this has become significantly easier. We have capitalized upon social media through the mobile app we have created, as well as through the incorporation of YouTube with the video submissions. College students are prone to being lazy. As most are away from their homes for the first time in their lives, they refuse to do at-home activities, such as cleaning or cooking. Thus, their dorm rooms are usually trashed, and their credit card bills are extremely high from all of the food ordered to their rooms. And walking to school or looking for a bus schedule is absolutely out of the question, as it requires actual effort. Therefore, we have capitalized upon this aspect when creating the mobile app, as it will give students an easy way to find out when the TCAT is approaching, or how close the nearest stop is. College students have very little money to spend freely, so giving out the 10 free bus rides to freshmen will not only save them money on gas, but encourage riding the extremely inexpensive TCAT in the future. College students are competitive. They love a challenge and have high expectations of self, thus resulting in a competitive nature when it comes to peers, particularly when the prize is something desirable. As a result, weve created the competition for the best TCAT video to encourage students to challenge themselves and one another to create great videos.
  • 8. communication methods The goal of our communication strategies and methods is to challenge and change the current perceptions of the TCAT in the minds of Ithaca College students. Our research has indicated that students refrain from taking the TCAT based on their belief that this method of transportation is unpredictable and inconvenient. Our communication methods will consist of traditional print media, a mobile application and YouTube videos and will prevent and combat the current perceptions that exist among the Ithaca College student body. We will begin the communication method by educating incoming freshman through promotional material. This will be the first step in our pursuit to make the exchange between students and the TCAT more attractive. The goal of the promotional materials is to prevent incoming students from believing that the TCAT is unpredictable and inconvenient through an increased sense of awareness. The promotional material, coupled with free TCAT bus passes, will allow the students to learn about how the TCAT works and experience it first hand. The promotional material will be clear and instructional, teaching students how to use all of the TCAT features. There will also be a step-by-step guide instructing students on the best way to reach popular destinations such as Wegmans, the Pyramid Mall and the Ithaca Commons. College freshman are often concerned with how they will navigate a new town. The promotional material, geared to the specific needs of college freshman will help make the TCAT a more attractive option. The main goal of the mobile application is to increase the convenience and of the TCAT. We want to make it as easy as possible for college students to use the TCAT by creating a tool that will help our target audience use the bus. We hope to communicate the convenience, reliability and predictability of the TCAT through the mobile application. We plan to communicate the convenience of the TCAT through GPS features that will direct the user to the nearest TCAT bus stop. The GPS function will give the user step-by-step instruction of how to get there and the time of the next bus that will arrive. The time of the bus will take delays into account, increasing the sense of reliability and predictability. Our last method of communication will be a viral video campaign that will be featured on our YouTube page. The main communication goal of the viral video campaign will be to create a sense of community among college students who use the bus. Our deep understanding of the target market indicates the importance of community. This can be seen through the dependence on social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube. Students will be more likely to use the TCAT if they know that their friends and fellow students are using to bus. The competition will revolve around a situation when the TCAT came to the rescue and saved the day. This topic has a main goal of increasing the sense of predictability and convenience associated with the TCAT. The videos will be posted on our YouTube account and will help create a buzz among our target market of college students.
  • 9. campaign implementation phase 1 The first aspect of the campaign is creating and distributing TCAT orientation materials to incoming freshman and their parents. To connect with students and parents TCAT should first establish a larger presence on campus during summer orientation sessions. Booths will be set up in different spots to distribute pamphlets and information, and presentations will be held for parents who are staying in the area. The presentations can give parents extra information about the services that TCAT provides and explain how easy it will be for their children to access local shops and restaurants during their time at Ithaca College. By having these personalized information sessions with parents they will likely encourage their children not to bring cars to school, cutting down on harmful emissions and increasing the chances that they will use the bus system. When students arrive at school, they will be provided with TCAT orientation materials. This will include a list of useful bus schedules that they could post on their dorm room walls, tips on how to use and ride public transit, and 10 free bus ride vouchers attached to their student ID that they can use within the first month of school. Educating them early and allowing them to try the bus system for free will increase the probability that they will become repeat customers. If students start using and utilizing the TCAT early in their academic career, it will be likely that they will continue to use the TCAT all 4 years that they attend Ithaca College.
  • 10. campaign implementation phase 2 The second aspect of our campaign will be the development and implementation of a mobile application. We believe that a mobile app will help better connect the TCAT with their current and potential customers. It can be used as a tool to educate people about the different aspects of public transportation and to make it easier for people to find, locate, and use the TCAT. The mobile app will use GPS to locate the customers location and direct them to the nearest bus stop; making riding the t-cat simple, straightforward, and almost effortless. College students will specifically be able to utilize this mobile app by finding phase 3 out when the bus will be stopping on campus, where it will be going, and how they will get back. The third aspect of our proposal will be to implement a contest which will encourage college students to get involved with TCAT. The contest will ask students to submit a short video about a time that TCAT has saved their day. Groups, no larger than 5 people, can e-mail their video submissions to t-cat during the contest. Finalists will be determined by TCAT and their videos will be posted to the TCAT youtube channel where people can like or dislike each video. The video with the most likes at the end of the contest will win free t-cat bus passes for a year. The idea is that the finalists will post their videos on their facebook pages to have their friends vote for their submission, which will increase visibility for TCAT and will act as free publicity and advertising.
  • 11. budget We plan to spend $1,000.00 to develop a mobile application. The promotional materials will have an approximate cost of $500.00. We plan to give each incoming freshman 10 bus passes this will cost around $50,000.00. While this is a large cost we believe that there will be a large return on investment and all cost will be recovered. Mobile Application $1,000.00 Promotional Materials $500.00 Bus Passes $50, 000.00 $51,500.00 Total
  • 12. conclusion When put together these 3 projects will help TCAT gain and maintain a new customer base for the future. Many college students do not use TCAT simply because they do not know how to, or find it inaccessible. With the implementation of a freshman orientation program, and a mobile app students will become better educated on how to use the bus system and will likely use it more often. Once students know more about the TCAT, they can interact and become more involved with the TCAT bus system by creating a video submission for the contest. This will give the t-cat more of a presence on the Internet as well as provide the company with free promotion.