CASE STUDY: Getting Canberra back on the buses

Background

Action, the public bus network in Australia’s capital city Canberra, was suffering from poor patronage and a lack of trust in the brand, as evidenced by quantitative research. This was the result of service cutbacks in 2005. A process of community consultation uncovered considerable scepticism about Action’s ability to roll out a viable new network.

Objective

The objectives for the rebranding and marketing campaign to launch the upgraded service – Network 08 – were to improve the overall image of Action, restore faith in the brand and reverse the decline in passenger numbers. There was also a desire to boost the general morale of Action staff and reduce the amount of negative press directed at the organisation.

Aim

Action had consulted widely with the public and made improvements to their network in a genuine response to customers’ needs. To reinvigorate the brand, a campaign was built around those customers. The driving idea was to reinforce the fact that Action had listened to them, through the campaign theme – “We’re going your way”.

This line expressed the very literal benefit that the new network was more likely to be getting people where they wanted to go. However, the more important message was the implicit one: that Action listens to its customers, understands what they want and is committed to delivering the services they require.

Execution

The strategy combined television for reach and awareness, with press and direct mail for further information. The corporate identity was also refreshed and applied to all consumer touch points including buses, signage and printed materials.

The campaign concentrated on specific aspects of the improved service, with the strong underlying message that these improvements had come about by responding to consumer needs. It avoided approaches that were self-congratulatory, fanciful or grandiose. It was time to be real, down-to-earth and honest. While the campaign could afford to make people smile, it needed to be a smile of recognition.

A further aspect of the campaign was the acknowledgement that Action drivers were well regarded, even when aspects of the service itself were being criticised. Therefore real Action drivers were featured, delivering the “We’re going your way” line to the camera. The drivers gave a credible face to the communication.

Results

The week after the campaign for Network 08 was launched, Action set a new record for the number of adult passengers carried in one day. In the first 12 months of the new network, total passenger boardings increased by 4.7 per cent year on year. The change in public perception of the organisation was highlighted by Grey’s proprietary 2009 Eye on Canberra research which identified Action as one of Canberra’s top three most trusted brands.

The campaign referred passengers to the Action website as a source of detailed information. This site was rated as the most visited Australian Capital Territory government website for 2008 through monitoring service Hitwise. An unexpected outcome of the campaign was an increase in the number of applicants for positions as drivers, addressing a longstanding recruitment challenge.

Credits

Agency Grey Canberra, Australia
Client Action Buses
Campaign Network 2008
Managing director Warren Apps
ECD Jan O’Connell
Account director Rowan Wilson
Account manager N/A
Account executive N/A
Regional planner N/A
Senior art director Liz Hammond
Copywriter Phil Selby
Art director N/A
Senior art director Brett Russell
Duration One year
Exposure ACT, Australia