Auckland Transport recently launched a new campaign featuring Jerome Kaino encouraging people to use PT and HOP. It seems to be primarily an online campaign focused on the videos below however I’ve also seen a few ads on the backs of buses too. Overall I think the campaign is pretty well done and Jerome seems like a good choice to front it.
I’m not sure I agree that the journey planner is as great as Jerome suggests. I find it often ignores the most logical or sometimes even the fastest options. For example to get from Takapuna to New Lynn on a Monday afternoon it only suggests catching the horrid 130 bus for almost two hours but ignores the much faster option of catching a bus to town and then transferring to either another bus or a train.
It’s good to see AT talking about what’s coming up and importantly highlight that the changes are helping to give Auckland a system like found in many other cities around the world.
Overall I think AT have done a decent job with this
Although it doesn’t have quite as many cool points as this 1980’s style video that L.A. Metro has just released.
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Strange that AT are pushing their journey planner when it’s much easier just to use google, which after all uses the same data. Why try and compete with that?
Google uses the timetable data and doesn’t have RT info, it’s also often out of date, so despite being much nicer and easier to use than AT’s planner, the latter does have its advantages.
The latest upgrade to Google Maps journey planner has frustrated me immensely. In some ways the graphical listing is handy, but how it always defaults to the current time adds an extra step. Also means if you check a journey at midnight when there is no service, says there are no journeys available, but doesn’t give you option to change time. Very frustrating.
I honestly have no idea who this Jerome person is though…
Here he is destroying some Welsh dude.
In this day and age it’s a bit annoying when people say I don’t know… Google it.
Could you just imagine the complaining and herald fire fuelling if AT went with an l.a style ad.
BBC – he’s a professional rugby player. Plays for the Blues and the All blacks.
And the cost?
Sounds a little awkward saying “public transport” all the time. I do really like the “AT Metro” brand seen lately in board reports, so am looking forward to that being rolled out with the new network.
Although despite my criticism of the term “public transport” it would be a mistake to prematurely apply the new “AT Metro” term to the old system. Just have to be patient, I guess.
AT’s marketing department do a good job, pity they don’t have a service worthy of marketing. Maybe they should hold off for a while and spend the marketing money on improving the service.
– Did anyone notice Jerome’s planned journey took 1 hour 22 minutes and costs $13:50. The next best option costs $15:50! At least AT aren’t trying to hide anything!
– Saw a great looking new 009 bus the other day, really looked the part until I saw the ad on the back: “A bus every 30 minutes”. Wow, that’s really worth advertising!
– Really nice advertising through Sandringham village last year a bus every 10 minutes down Sandringham road. Sounded good until I saw the small print (between 7am – 9am)
Great to see a well known public figure (sorry BBC!) endorsing PT in this town. Just the kind of positive role model promotion AKL PT needs. If we can get some other well known sporting and entertainment figures (Lorde etc) doing the same thing then that will help persuade especially younger ones that PT is the way to go (though a lot of them as discussed in previous ATB articles seem to be finding their way to PT land anyway). Oh yeah, LA ad is totally rad 🙂
> If we can get some other well known sporting and entertainment figures (Lorde etc) doing the same thing
What, by prominently including Auckland’s PT system in her music videos or something? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFasFq4GJYM
Well I meant in a formal campaign Steve but yes it was great the song featured Morningside Station and the mates on the train.
Agree with Jimbo above, much easier to market a better service, hell get it right and it sells itself, as we see with the improving Rapid Transit services. But a key aim here is to get the laggards already using PT to get a HOP card and Kaino is a good choice for getting through to a demographic that are so far not yet on board with the new system….
Yes right on the money Patrick (especially about getting through to a particular group who has been slower to take up HOP)