Toward Better Advertising Campaigns for Transit

A few ideas on how advertisements could do a better job of selling public transit to the public.

1 minute read

July 22, 2017, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The team at Mobility Lab has produced a series of articles offering recommendations on how transit agencies should advertise their services.

First, Ethan Goffman writes an article suggesting that to compete with the media attention focused on prestigious and hip corporations like Tesla, Mercedes Benz, and Uber, transit agencies should "combine efforts – and budgets – in a national effort."

"This could create spots that 'do it all,'" adds Goffman, "using the best contemporary messaging techniques to highlight the benefits of transit. Branding for a specific transit system could then easily be inserted into the ads by local agencies that identify with the messaging. Such ads would help overcome resistance to change, emphasizing the personal, social, and environmental benefits of transit while appealing to everyone from millennials to seniors."

In a follow-up article, John Perry adds two more cents about how transit agencies can ensure quality in advertising campaigns. The premise of Perry's argument: "most contemporary transit advertising in the U.S. sucks. A lot of it is very flat and bureaucratic, unimaginative, and oftentimes with a hokey gimmick." Perry does identify one example par excellence: the work of Metro in Los Angeles, which "produces videos that are splendidly made."

(Perry's article is republished by Mobility Lab. The original article is on Perry's blog, Bastard Urbanism.)

Thursday, July 6, 2017 in Mobility Lab

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3, 2025 - Governing

White park shuttles with large Zion logo on side and red rock cliffs in background in Zion National Park.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”

Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

July 15 - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Chart of federal transportation funding comparing Biden and Trump administration spending.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden

Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

July 15 - Transportation for America

Close-up on yellow and black TAXI sign on top of beige car in central Munich, Germany.

German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence

Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.

July 15 - Bloomberg