California State Rail Plan 2007-08 to 2017-18

2007-08 – 2017-18 California State Rail PlanDEPARTMENT’S MARKETING PROGRAMThe annual intercity rail marketing program budget is $6.2 million. The budgetincludes $5 million in State funds and Amtrak supplements the budget with anadditional $1.2 million for media advertising. Of the $5 million, $3.8 million fundmarketing expenditures for the San Joaquins and Pacific Surfliner routes.The remaining $1.2 million goes to the Capitol Corridor (the Capitol CorridorJoint Powers Authority administers the Capitol Corridor marketing funds.).A major challenge for the marketing program includes a limited budget that hasnot increased since 1993. Inflation and escalating media costs make it even moredifficult to maintain visibility in the media and in developing new approaches toreach audiences most likely to ride the train.Finding creative ways to leverage the marketing dollars will continue to becritical. Stretching media dollars through partnerships with media vendors allowsfor “added value” or media bonus opportunities for Amtrak California.The program has realized as much as 75 percent in additional radio and televisionexposure and will continue to expand media dollars in this way.To maximize the leveraging power of these limited funds, partnerships have beenand will continue be developed with connecting transit agencies to promote freetransit transfers on local buses and light rail. Another example is to develop costeffective ways to inform the traveling public about rail travel as simply as workingwith transit providers to include an Amtrak California web site link onto their websites.Finding ways to encourage rail travel during slow travel seasons will be developedby creating tourism packages with the Amtrak Guest Rewards Program andAmtrak’s partnerships with car rental agencies and hotels. This also includesworking with air quality districts that sponsor projects such as the Santa BarbaraCar Free project. This project promotes travel on the Pacific Surfliner trains withdiscount offers for hotels near the rail station to eliminate the need for rentinga car.Selling Amtrak tickets to increase ridership is like a retail business. Traditionaladvertising methods like with any retail business are changing with the emergenceof online information sources. More and more people will seek information fromthe internet over the next ten years and this is an area we will continue to receivemore emphasis.ADVERTISINGThe Department and Amtrak combine resources to create a single advertisingprogram for Amtrak California rail services. The Department renewed a threeyear contract with Glass-McClure Advertising of Sacramento that expires inFY 2009-10. Contract services include strategic planning, media planning,68