13/09/2004
- Sophisticated research programme to encourage modal shift
- £250,000 telemarketing campaign will target mums and commuters
Stagecoach is to launch Britain’s most sophisticated transport marketing campaign next month in a drive to get more people to travel by bus.
The £250,000 campaign will use the detailed customer research techniques pioneered by the supermarket giants to encourage people to get out of their cars and onto public transport.
Stagecoach, one of the country’s biggest transport operators, expects to target up to 20% of its bus networks over the next two years, with a major focus on mums and commuters.
Detailed geodemographic research, similar to that used by the retail sector, is being undertaken by Stagecoach to focus on people whose lifestyle is most suited to switching to bus travel.
A new telemarketing unit, currently being set up at the company’s headquarters in Perth, will concentrate a new town or city every six weeks.
The team will discuss prospective passengers’ current travel choices, their satisfaction with existing bus services and offer seven days’ free travel to encourage them to try the bus.
Specialist marketing communications consultancy Story, whose clients have included major financial services and drinks companies, will work with Stagecoach on the creative material for the initiative.
Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: “This is the most sophisticated campaign ever undertaken in this country to attract more people to public transport, particularly commuters and mothers. We will be using the same kind of detailed lifestyle research that companies in the retail sector, particularly the supermarket giants, have used to win new customers.
“Buses have huge potential to help solve the country’s transport challenges in the years ahead. They are flexible, cost-effective and can play a major role in tackling increasing congestions in our towns and cities. Stagecoach is at the forefront of new ideas on how to deliver modal shift and we believe our innovative campaign can help generate a resurgence in bus travel across Britain.”
The “where you want to be” campaign will use a mix of bus posters, press advertising and direct marketing to convey the benefits of travelling by bus.
Sue Mullen, Managing Director at Story, said: “We are delighted to be at the heart of such an innovative transport campaign. We believe that our creative marketing strengths will be a powerful tool to help get across the crucial role of buses and the real difference they can make to people’s everyday lives.”
The nationwide campaign follows the success of four pilot projects carried out by Stagecoach in Perth, Grimsby, Haverhill and Hartlepool where some 20% of people contacted by the company decided to try the bus.
This summer the Government announced an expanded role for buses in the delivery of its long-term strategic transport priorities. The Department for Transport has already adopted Stagecoach’s Kickstart proposal to pump-prime new and improved bus services across the country and is considering the possibility of further funding for new schemes across the UK.
Research earlier this year showed that Stagecoach’s megabus.com service, the UK’s first web-based low-cost inter-city bus operation, had attracted up to 30% of its passengers from the car.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Steve Stewart, Head of Media and Public Affairs, Stagecoach Group
Tel: 01738 44211
Mobile: 07764 774680
e-mail: steven.stewart@stagecoachgroup.com
Notes to Editors:
- Stagecoach runs more than 7,000 buses in around 90 towns and cities across the UK, from the Highlands of Scotland to south-west England.
- Stagecoach delivered total passenger growth of around 1.5% in its urban and provincial bus networks outside London last year.
