OCTA

The Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency wants a digital marketing firm to promote visibility and recover ridership that the Pacific Surfliner brand lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 351-mile LOSSAN, which serves six SOCAL counties, is the second busiest rail corridor in the US. Its pre-pandemic annual ridership was about 3M on 24 daily trains from LA and San Diego and another ten extending to Santa Barbara/Goleta.

The Pacific Surfliner views its social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and a blog) as vital assets to its marketing program.

Those channels “deliver timely and relevant information, inspire trips, and highlight the benefits of train travel,” according to the RFP.

LOSSAN wants a firm to drive website traffic; increase ticket bookings among current and potential customers; connect/engage those who have indicated an interest in train travel; and enhance the perception of the Pacific Surfliner service.

The selected partner shall demonstrate a thorough knowledge of developing data-based, strategic social media marketing plans. It will be expert in influencer and partner engagement, creative copywriting, community management, social media incident response/mitigation, user-generated content, social media advertising, viral marketing, digital storytelling and using behavioral psychology/science to create content that resonates with specific audiences and motivates action.

LOSSAN has budgeted $200K for the one-year social marketing campaign.

Proposals are due April 27. Mail them to: 

Orange County Transportation Authority
Contracts Administration and Materials Management (CAMM) PO Box 14184
Orange, California 92863-1584
Attention: Gina Torres, Contract Administrator

Read the RFP (PDF).