Brampton Züm: Launch Advertising

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  • Züm’s unabashedly aspirational advertising campaign featured portraits of Züm riders, “local heroes” from across the target demographic who ride Züm. The language was designed to create kerb appeal for transit, to make riding fun. The ads made a clear statement that Züm was the choice of smart people – while reinforcing key features to illustrate exactly why Züm was the choice of the smarter commuter.

    The Züm launch has been very popular with Brampton residents and has been recognized as an exemplar case across the GTA by industry and media. Which is lovely, and made the fit of our turbans a trifle tight for a while. What we are proudest of however, is how we transformed ideas in our heads to bums in seats. That’s the kind of magic we love: dramatic ridership increases. Click on the case study link for the results.

  • CUTA Award for Exceptional Performance and Outstanding Achievement, IABC/Toronto OVATION award, Summit award.

  • This campaign earned favourable reviews in The Toronto StarMetro and community newspapers not to mention enormous buzz in the twitterverse and on transit forums.

  • Since the Züm launch, Brampton Transit has posted all-time back-to-back monthly ridership records. Overall year-to-date ridership growth was at an all-time high in 2010, increasing by 12.6 per cent, more than four times the national industry average of three per cent. 13.8 million riders used Brampton Transit in 2010, an increase of more than 1.5 million riders, compared to 2009. Figures ending February 2011 - Züm's first six months - showed a six month ridership growth of 16%, the highest in Brampton Transit history, nearly four times the national industry average. Ridership in March 2011 was up 26.5 per cent along the Queen Street corridor, compared to 2010. But Züm didn't stop there. It was on a roll. Over 2011, Brampton Transit posted growth of 18% - three times the 6% growth seen on GO Transit and Mississauga Transit and well above the 4% national average for transit. By February 2012, ridership across Brampton Transit had grown to 16.3 million rides. This helped Brampton Transit set a new all-time monthly ridership record with 1.398 million riders besting the previous all-time monthly record set in November 2010 of 1.393 million riders, thanks to a 21.5 per cent increase along the Queen Street corridor.