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.

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 1960’s. 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 didn’t 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, we’ve 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 customer’s 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.