OCTA Bike Month Campaign
As of 7/4/2013
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Objective
There are two key objectives for OCTA’s Bike Month Campaign:
1. Promote safe and responsible cycling through events, messaging, and contests
2. Reduce vehicle miles traveled by encouraging residents to ride bicycles for
transportation
Marketing Message
Before livable communities, sustainability, and active transportation entered our
vocabulary, cycling was just fun! For our 2013 National Bike Month Campaign, we want
to put fun back to the forefront of our focus. Customers may try cycling to ease their
concerns about the environment, cut fuel costs, and lose weight, but they will make
cycling a habit because they enjoy it, plain and simple.
We want to make customers realize what they are missing out on if they haven’t ridden
a bike lately. Orange County has over 1,000 miles of bikeways, over 100 miles of
mountain bike trails, and an infinite number of great views! Orange County is known as
a car dominated County, but in 2013 we want people to get out of their cars and try
bicycling for transportation. As a result, our message for the 2013 campaign is simple,
“Swap Your Ride!”
Budget Needs: $65,000 approx.
Strategic Goals of Messaging:
 Promote bicycling as a fun, inexpensive and healthy transit option
 Promote the use of Orange County’s strategic commuter bikeways
 Engage younger riders who are prone to safety violations
 Extend bike promotions beyond May using social media and art campaigns
Metrics:
 10% of survey respondents first time participants Accomplished:16.2% of
participants were new to cycling
 Increase total pledges and participants during National Bike Month by 10%
Accomplished: 12%
 Generate 200 photos for an Instagram photo contest Accomplished: 364 photos
 Collect over $5,000 in donations and prizes from sponsors. Accomplished
$10,200
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Target Audiences:
 People who have participated in previous bike month events
 Cyclists and bike commuters
 Students at Colleges and Universities
 Recreational riders, bike clubs and bike shop customers
 High school kids, urban artists, hipsters, fixie riders
 People interested in health and fitness
Tactics
Print Collateral
 Poster with events and promotions
 Flyer with events and promotions
 Promo item – Jersey Bins
 Event banner 15 x 5 feet
 Media/Sponsor backdrop for Instagram contest
 Exterior bus ads
Electronic
 Press release
 A new OCTA redirected URL (www.octabikemonth.com) OCTA.net (pledge, how
to commute, safety docs, other modes, links to social)
 Online banner at octa.net
 $500 Facebook advertising for pledge contest and bike month video
 Email Blasts to bicycle stakeholders
 Social Media Efforts: OCTA & Partners FB/Twitter/YouTube/Instagram
 Bike Video
o iRide Bike Video
o Bike Festival Video
Event Schedule
 ETC Meeting – March 27th, 2013 – OCTA Headquarters
 Bike Festival: April 29th - Huntington Beach, CA
o Raffles
o Contests
o Booths – products, information
o Demonstrations – safety, tire fix/change, proper helmet fit
o Complementary bike tune-ups
 OCTA Bike Rally – May 16, 2013
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Key Events and Promotions
Bike Festival:
OCTA will organize a Bike Festival to kick off Bike Month activities. The OCTA Bike
Festival will again be held at the Huntington Beach Pier Plaza on Sunday, April 28.
Huntington Beach is one of two Orange County cities recognized by the League of
American Bicyclists for its bike friendliness, providing the political and grassroots
support necessary for a great event. Last year, the event prepared participants to ride
their bikes during Bike Month with bike safety education, bikeway maps, and free tune
ups. The event also provided an opportunity for commuters to participate in contests,
enjoy music, and participate in safety demonstrations.
Instagram Photo Contest:
“Share the Art of the Ride” (#BikeOC)
Art and cycling have become intertwined. From fashion advertisements to art galleries
across the United States, bicycles are prominently displayed in modern art. Just like the
act of riding a bicycle, artistic expression is the process of exploring the world around us
and sharing it with others.
Instagram is a new software and social media tool that makes everyone an artist. It lets
you take photos, edit them creatively, and share them with friends. For 2013, we would
like to do an Instagram photo contest where winners will receive a commuter bike, a
free bike tune-up, and other cycling gear. As part of this process, we will use social
media and direct marketing to entice local artists, cycling enthusiasts, and Instagram
fans to generate submissions. This contest will increase excitement for our campaign
and allow us to reach a new and critically important audience.
The key to Instagram is active participation. Instead of relying on the honor system to
track pledges, Instagram motivates people to experience cycling. Built into the
application’s software is the ability to promote our campaign and take it viral. Instagram
users post pictures with hash tags (#) and spread the word about National Bike month.
We will encourage users to hash tag (#BikeOC) and capture buses and trains in the
photos. The hashtag should be simple, easy to remember and align with the campaign’s
message.
Our campaign is highly successful with OC employers, but this audience is typically
older and more likely to obey the rules of the road. Young cyclists, however, are the
biggest offenders of unsafe cycling. They ride without helmets, on the wrong side of the
road, and without proper lighting. By engaging these users through Instagram, we may
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be able to reach a larger portion of this audience and teach a younger generation about
safe cycling.
The general public will be able to post their submissions on our website and an OCTA
committee will select the winners. This will drive traffic to our website and increase
awareness for National Bike Month.
OCTA Bike Rally:
OCTA will host a bike rally during Bike to Work Week. The Bike Rally is designed as a
media event for VIP stakeholders. We will invite city staff, OCTA employees, board
members and bicycle advocates to show support for bike to work week. A small
program will take place once the riders have arrived at OCTA headquarters. OCTA’s
CEO will highlight the benefits of bicycle commuting and inform attendees about OCTA
bikeways planning and bike share programs.
The event will also include a sneak peek of the OCTA bike share system
(www.octa.net/bikelink). Darrell Johnson and Director Shawn Nelson will be riding a
BikeLink bike during the rally. Once the rally arrives at OCTA, rally participants will ride
the BikeLink bikes and check out the kiosk.
We will hand out BikeLink business cards that say “BikeLink is coming”. These cards
will direct participants to the OCTA BikeLink website. We will be giving away “Swap
Your Ride” Jersey Bins and the cards will be placed inside.
Timeline
Bike Month Milestones
Location and Dates
Start of Bike Month Campaign
Film Promotional Video
ETC Kick-Off Meeting
Instagram Photo Contest
Bike Festival - Huntington Beach
Bike to Work Week
OCTA Bike Rally
Action Items
Start of Bike Month Campaign
Develop Theme for Bike Month
1/3/13
2/14/13
3/27/13
5/1/13-6/1/13
4/28/13 Huntington Beach Pier Plaza
5/13-5/17
5/16/2012
Owner
Milestone
Wes
Due Date
1/3/13
1/3/13
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Return on Investment
Pledge Contest:
The pledge contest saw a 12% growth over last year, which met the goals of the
program. The growth was due to an increase in quality and quantity of e-blasts, a small
$500 Facebook advertising campaign, and an engaging bike month video.
One weakness to focus on is the quality of the survey data. Next year, the survey
should be refined to include more detailed questions that benefit the Planning and GIS
Division in their research.
Instagram Contest:
The Instagram contest was a new promotion for this year and we really didn’t know
what to expect. We were blown away by the number of photos submitted. The #BikeOC
hashtag had 4 photos when we started the contest. Today, customers are continually
tagging great photos with #BikeOC and it has become a place where people can share
photos about great cycling in Orange County. There are currently 416 photos tagged.
We were similarly blown away by the quality of the photos. Our committee had a very
tough time selecting the top 15 winners.
There are a number of ways we can improve the contest next year. First, when
customers post the photo, they should include an answer to the question, “Why do you
pledge to ride?” This can act as a cross promotion to our pledge contest and also
ensure that photos are not simply submitted in the comments section of the photo.
Customers should be informed that to enter the contest, they must use the hashtag
#bikeOC when the photo is first posted.
We also need to reach out more extensively to heavy users, who are effective at
spreading the message and starting trends. @GoOCTA photos should call out
customers who take great photos and invite them into the contest. For example, “Hey
@Wparsel, have you submitted a cycling photo in our Bike Month Instagram contest?
You can enter to win another lovely bike for your collection!”
Bike Events:
The Bike Festival and Rally were a great success. The Huntington Beach Pier is an
amazing location. It serves as a major destination for cyclists and there are thousands
of walk through customers.
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For next year, we should attempt to expand the number of bike shops and vendors at
the event. This should include bicycle vendors that attract a younger audience like Sole,
Cateye, and State Bicycle Co. We’d also like to get on the ride calendar for the
OCWheelman, Bike Club of Irvine, and other clubs who take long rides on Sundays.
We tried to get access to an iPad to increase onsite pledging. Unfortunately, this plan
fell through and we missed the opportunity to capture valuable pledges that would have
benefited our overall metrics. The marketing staff did not have the budget to purchase
iPads in 2013, but with leftover funding from sponsorships, we should buy one for 2014.
Media Selections:
Media selections were very effective. The small Facebook campaign generated 60,000
impressions and 5,000 engaged users.
Because of the volume of OCTA’s marketing campaigns, we were only able to secure 5
bus wraps in 2013. This was not enough bus advertising and we should ensure that we
are not bumped next year. We’d also like to select the desired routes for our bus
advertising ahead of time. Effective bus routes for bicycle messaging include route 1,
43, 57, 79, 26, and 55.
Budget:
The budget was adequate for the campaign. We were able to select a quality design
firm to create the collateral pieces and the extremely engaging bike month video. We
also used funds to buy event posters, banners, and supplies that we can use for the
next few years.
In previous years, we have run OC Register ads, but they were too expensive this year.
It may be worth considering advertising our Bike Festival and Rally in the OC Register
or the Huntington Beach local section next year.
Strengths of 2013 Bike Month Campaign:
 Instagram contest
 Jersey Bin promo items
 Bike Festival location, vendors, and turnout
 Bike Month Video
 Amazing selection of donated prizes, including the grand prize commuter bike
 Effective promotion of prizes to ensure sponsors will continue to donate
Task items for next year:
 Work with Carolyn in Planning to make the pledge survey more scientific
 Clarify Instagram submissions rules
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Reach out to Instagram “heavy users”
Promote prizes on Instagram and Facebook earlier
Pitch media for Bike Month story in the OC Register
Increase the number of bus wraps and preselect routes
Purchase an iPad for onsite pledging
Increase social media advertising
Include more “hip” vendors for the OCTA Bike Festival
Conduct a safety campaign that focuses more on dangerous driver and cyclist
behaviors
Get on the ride calendar schedule for more bike clubs and shops
Include a “traffic garden” at the bike festival to teach children safe cycling
Use Project Management Essentials forms to manage schedules and budget
Consider a bumper sticker promotional item promoting safe cycling for cars and
bicycles
Create a Ciclovia (open streets) style event
Additional Research
1. Coasting Research For OCTA – PowerPoint
2. Sky Ride TV Summer Ad 2012 (VIDEO)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vvRc1h84Wg8)
3. T-Shirt Design Contest Sample
(http://www.silvercog.net/how-to-enter-contest.html
4.
Self Reliance Grows in the Utrecht Traffic Garden (VIDEO)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0yzZLVsTCE
PowerPoint and Marketing Plan from Lynne Goldsmith and Paula Carvajal
at Metro
6. Every Lane is a Bike Lane
http://thesource.metro.net/2013/04/11/every-lane-is-a-bike-lane/
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