Award-Winning Pokémon Go Social Media Campaign
The overnight popularity of Pokémon Go provided an opportunity to have lighthearted, fun interactions with social media users under the age of 34, i.e. millennials and teens, living in the communities served by Cherriots, Salem’s public transit district. The Pokémon Go social media campaign encouraged gamers to use Cherriots buses to find Pokémon.
In 2017 this campaign won a first place national marketing award from the American Public Transportation Association in the category "Best Marketing and Communications to Increase Ridership or Sales."
Although millennials and teens are prolific social media users, they were not very active on Cherriots' social media pages. The most active Facebook followers were between the ages of 45 and 54.
Real-world issues made it difficult to provide lighthearted messages on social media. The transit district had not been able to provide weekend service since 2009. The tension in the community spilled over into social media, and positive messages often received a backlash of negativity.
Besides creating Pokémon-themed tweets encouraging gamers to ride the bus to catch Pokémon, I organized a contest on social media. To enter the contest, people snapped screenshots of Pokémon at Cherriots transit centers and bus stops, or on buses. Then they tweeted the photo to Cherriots, or posted it on the Cherriots' Facebook page. Gamers could win portable phone battery packs branded with the Cherriots URL, a coveted giveaway because the Pokémon Go game drained battery life. Sandwich boards advertised "Pokémon Gyms" at transit centers, and we dropped “lures” to attract more Pokémon.
In 2017 this campaign won a first place national marketing award from the American Public Transportation Association in the category "Best Marketing and Communications to Increase Ridership or Sales."
Although millennials and teens are prolific social media users, they were not very active on Cherriots' social media pages. The most active Facebook followers were between the ages of 45 and 54.
Real-world issues made it difficult to provide lighthearted messages on social media. The transit district had not been able to provide weekend service since 2009. The tension in the community spilled over into social media, and positive messages often received a backlash of negativity.
Besides creating Pokémon-themed tweets encouraging gamers to ride the bus to catch Pokémon, I organized a contest on social media. To enter the contest, people snapped screenshots of Pokémon at Cherriots transit centers and bus stops, or on buses. Then they tweeted the photo to Cherriots, or posted it on the Cherriots' Facebook page. Gamers could win portable phone battery packs branded with the Cherriots URL, a coveted giveaway because the Pokémon Go game drained battery life. Sandwich boards advertised "Pokémon Gyms" at transit centers, and we dropped “lures” to attract more Pokémon.
"Jenny is creative, collaborative, energetic and organized. A real self-starter, Jenny has breathed new life into our social media presence, and has grown our social media reach considerably. Jenny takes a strategic approach to engage and interact with riders and the community as a whole."
Lorna Adkins
Former marketing and communication coordinator at Cherriots
Excerpt from letter of recommendation
The contest received 57 entries, and I gave away five battery packs. The targeted Facebook post reached more than 22,500 people. The Cherriots Facebook page received more than 50 new page likes. The demographic most engaged by the Facebook post was men between the ages of 18 to 24. That’s a first on Cherriots’ Facebook page. The post also garnered no negative comments, which is rare.
The Pokémon-themed tweets were seen more than 67,000 times, and resulted in more than 16,000 interactions: likes, retweets, link clicks and comments. The Statesman Journal covered the Pokémon Go contest, and Cherriots' tweets generated positive feedback from the Oregon Department of Energy, a local author and other transit districts.
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The Pokémon-themed tweets were seen more than 67,000 times, and resulted in more than 16,000 interactions: likes, retweets, link clicks and comments. The Statesman Journal covered the Pokémon Go contest, and Cherriots' tweets generated positive feedback from the Oregon Department of Energy, a local author and other transit districts.
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