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ChineseMiss Traffic vs. i-Ride: Clash of the Transit Contests
Who will win, Metro’s Miss Traffic or Capital Metro’s i-Ride?
Cue the Rocky theme song, because today ladies and gentlemen, we here at MetroRiderLA are bringing you ringside to the transit fight of the season….
In one corner we have the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority, better known as Metro. Metro is a heavyweight in the transit world, holding the record for third largest transit agency in the country. Metro has a daily ridership of 1.6 million people, 191 bus routes covering 1,433 square miles, 5 rail lines (3 light rail and 2 subway) with 73 miles of track, and was voted “America’s Best” in 2006 by the American Public Transit Association. In addition, Metro has made numerous television and film appearances. Metro is the very definition of a contender.
In the other corner we have the Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority, also known as Capital Metro. This bantamweight from Austin, TX is scrappy in every sense of the word. With only 68 bus routes, no rail (a commuter line is scheduled to open this year), and a ridership of 130,000, Capital Metro is a David to Metro’s Goliath. Sure Capital Metro offers dirt cheap fares (50 cents is the most you’ll pay), interactive Google based bus maps, HTML formated schedules, and Wi-Fi access for passengers, but does that stuff even matter?
What’s brought these two clearly unbalanced fighters here today is the marketing contests both agencies are currently promoting. Metro will henceforth be represented by Miss Traffic and Capital Metro will be reprsented by i-Ride. Miss Traffic and i-Ride are both contests that attempt to get people excited about transit by telling stories about why they ride. This fight is over which contest is better.
Let’s get ready to rumble!!!
Round 1 – Concept
Both Miss Traffic and i-Ride are based on the idea of riders telling, in their own words, why they ride their respective systems.
- Miss Traffic blurb:
Did you knit a sweater for your grandmother on the 920 while missing all the traffic on Wilshire Boulevard? Do you study for exams on the Red Line while missing the Hollywood Freeway gridlock? Or do you just relax with your iPod and stare out at all the traffic you’re missing from the window of Metro Local Line 204? Here’s your chance to be “crowned” as the next Miss Traffic! Just tell us how you miss traffic by going Metro. - i-Ride blurb:
Why do you ride Capital Metro? Tell us. It’s what our new i-Ride campaign is all about — you and the reasons why you take the bus. Enter our “Tell Us Your Story” contest and let us know how you use Capital Metro to get you to wherever your life takes you.
WINNER:
i-Ride
Miss Traffic just can’t compete in this round. Sure, the overall concept is the same, but she has some fatal kinks in her armor. Mostly, the pun-y name. Miss Traffic? So are we eliminating all men from this contest? I know in Mexico they are eliminating men from buses, but c’mon! I don’t know how many guys, save for some along Santa Monica Boulevard, no matter how much they love Metro, are going to want to be crowned “Miss Traffic”. But that’s not all that’s wrong with the name. “Miss Traffic”, to me, sounds like “I miss traffic”… “miss” meaning regretting the absence of. The query, “Just tell us how you miss traffic”, makes me want to write something like “I miss traffic because no matter how bad it is it sure beats sitting next to this smelly vagrant and having 3 buses pass me by when I Go Metro”. Of course, Metro intends for it to mean “how do you AVOID traffic”. The problem with puns, aside from being lame, is that if a word has more than two meanings (“miss” has at least 14 according to Dictionary.com) you’re going to have the opportunity for tons of puns that may mess up your intended pun. Tons of puns is not much fun.
i-Ride, on the other hand, is a great name. It instantly targets a demographic and generation, and references a thing that is pretty much universally loved, the i-Pod. It’s witty and smart, and doesn’t confuse the message. i-Ride cleanly translates into “I ride because…” which is what the whole contest is about. i-Ride throws a knock-out punch on this round.
Round 2 – Entering the Contest
How do you play the game?
- Miss Traffic asks riders to submit their stories via a web-based form and to keep the stories to 100 words or less.
- i-Ride encourages riders to submit their stories online as videos (via YouTube), writing (500 word limit), song, or artwork.
WINNER:
i-Ride
Miss Traffic falls again in Round 2. In fact, she got positively walloped. 100 measly words? Doesn’t really give a lot of room for creative freedom. To get an idea of what 100 words is, check out this brief MetroRiderLA post about the awesome Madrid Metro advertisement… it rings in at 110 words. i-Ride gives you the chance to use up to 500 words, but it also lets you use other mediums, including the ever popular YouTube video. How much more interesting is it from a marketing perspective to see a video, song or artwork created about your organization rather than a few paltry words. And how very 2008 of Capital Metro to make use of internet technologies in their contest. i-Ride encourages and enables its riders to be creative, Miss Traffic is simply passing out busy work.
Round 3 – Web Site
Both contests are web based, so who has the better site?
- Miss Traffic can be reached by clicking the Miss Traffic image on the Metro.net home page. From there you are taken to a page with news briefs and a loud Metro commercial that automatically plays. There is also a blurb about Miss Traffic and a link to the Miss Traffic page. Or you can simply type in the URL: http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/riders_guide/misstraffic_contest.htm . The page itself contains the now famous Miss Traffic photograph, a few paragraphs about the contest, and links to the entry from and the contest rules.
- i-Ride has its own website and URL: http://www.iridecapmetro.org/ . The home page is features a charming and colorful animated illustration and the option to customize the color of the page. Clicking the “Contest” link will take you to a new page (with more charming illustrations) that has the contest summary, inspirational tips, and links to the entry forms for the different categories (video, writing, song, and art). There’s also a section on the site called “i-Riders” which has submissions and profiles of the submitters and allows comments and ratings. The “Community” section has links to the i-Ride Facebook profile, YouTube Channel, and Flickr Pool.
WINNER:
i-Ride
Oh, that was BRUTAL. i-Ride totally smashed Miss Traffic’s pretty little face in this round. A unique and good URL, a full site instead of just a page, lovely illustrations, Web 2.0 connections, what more could you ask for? Miss Traffic gives us one pathetic page that’s not particularly attractive or easy to get to. I can see why she didn’t get a unique URL though, imisstraffic.com would be a bit odd for a transit agency (see Round 1). KO.
Round 4 – Prizes
Miss Traffic has taken a pummeling the last few rounds, but maybe she’s got a great prize to give away that a lightweight like i-Ride just can’t offer…
- Miss Traffic entries will be judged and three finalists will be chosen. These lucky three will receive the following: one (1) Metro T-Shirt valued at approximately $15. The finalists will also be featured in short videos in which they can tell their stories, and the video will be posted online for others to vote on their favorite. The winner of this vote will be crowned Miss Traffic and will receive the following: one (1) faux tiara, one (1) sash, and one (1) bouquet with an approximate total value of $50.
- i-Ride will have 13 winners: 1 Grand Prize Winner, 1 First Prize Winner, 1 Second Prize Winner, and 10 Third Prize Winners. The Grand Prize Winner will be able to choose from the following: one (1) 8gb iPhone (valued at $399) and $500 cash -OR- one (1) 8gb iPod Touch (valued at $299) with a $100 iTunes Gift Card and $500 cash. First Prize Winners will receive the following: one (1) 8gb iPod Nano (valued at $199). Second Prize Winners will receive the following: one (1) iPod Shuffle (valued at $49). Third Prize Winners all receive: one (1) $15 iTunes Gift Card.
WINNER:
i-Ride
TKO. Someone check Miss Traffic’s pulse, I’ve never seen anyone take a clobbering like that. A Metro T-Shirt? Are you KIDDING ME? Left-over props from the Miss Traffic photo shoot??? Is this a JOKE? Miss Traffic’s prizes are so pathetic I’m not even sure it can be called a contest anymore. I mean you’d have to PAY ME to take the faux tiara and sash, I’m sure as heck not writing 100 words for it. I can’t think of any human on this earth who would want those prizes. i-Ride on the other hand has AWESOME prizes. The most in-demand gadget of our time? CHECK. A massive amount of cash? CHECK. Tons of other prizes? CHECK. I’m thinking of moving to Austin for a while just to make a video and win the damn iPhone.
OVERALL WINNER: i-Ride… duh. Your faux tiara is in the mail Capital Metro. You deserve it.
Links:
Discussion
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Please keep discussions civil: exercise Troll Controll.
lolzolzol. oh man, the faux tiara was the clincher. wow. metro is so awesomely out of touch with everything ever.
Boardings. You meant 1.6 million boardings. Didn’t we clear this all up during the strike? Even the LATimes was eventually forced to retract.
Now from the LACMTA:
Estimates as of Dec. 2007
Average Weekday Boardings 1,362,735
Average Saturday Boardings 971,968
Average Sunday Boardings 693,953
A bit of quick math and you get 1,211,371 daily boardings. Something less than 430,000 people.
Thanks Rob!
I’m not sure exactly why Metro would give away such lame prizes. Why don’t they give away one of those TAP things or a Metro Pass or a gun, so that I could protect myself on the nightowl busses?
Maybe the staff at Metro should ask for donations around the Metro Building at Union Station.
You know who made a big math error? LA Citybeat in their article about one of the rails last week, they said something about 400,000 people daily taking a particular bus route, now that’s WAY OFF. That would mean that over 1.6 million people take that line alone, weekly…I mean that would be great, but it’s just not true, it’s way less.
Bloggers don’t have fact checkers, but newspapers, what is the fact check departments doing? Do they have a fact check departments anymore?
Browne aka the Anti-Miss Traffic or Catwoman or whoever your most favorite chick evil villain is.
The winner should be crowned Miss’d Opportunity.
Newspapers are just modern day blogs.
And my fact checker is Wikipedia, whatever that bitch says goes, her word is good as gold. Always.
“Newspapers are just modern day blogs.” – FredCamino
Blasphemy!
If it wasn’t for blog, newspapers would have become what the print media claims blogs are now. The print world is concerned in regards to ethics NOW, they didn’t care before blogs came on the scene, now they want to try to imply as if they have some kind of code or morals…print doesn’t have a code or morals and it’s also very boring, so sad. I never thought I’d say that.
LA blogs are much more interesting than the LA Times. The NY Times still rocks though, Financial Times, that’s still rocks also…California is just very good with the entertainment thing, blogs are entertaining, with some info.
The print world is too late, they messed up and now Rupert Murdoch and Sam Zell owns their souls. Maybe the newspaper men can teach journalism over at USC or probably more likely (I heard USC has standards now) they can teach an extension course over at UCLA (I heard UCLA as the print media world has given up and are selling their souls to Rupert Murdoch.)
USC is new media
UCLA is newspaper
Maybe people at UCLA are slightly smarter, but who cares really, being smart in that way only matters to English teachers who live in single apartments in Mar Vista.
Browne
[...] “Fred Camino” at the MetroRiderLA blog has the blow-by-blow showdown between LA’s Metro and Austin’s Capital Metro on their respective contests seeking rider-generated content that explains why they ride. [...]
blogs are nothing more than zines with a different distribution model.
hey wait, rob don’t you have a blog where you always go on about real estate and some dude from the ukraine or eastern europe or something?
Ummm, yeah and you post a comment about it on a blog rather than write a letter to the editor? Hmmm.
While I agree 100% as to the overall lameness of “Miss Traffic”, you forgot one category that it would win at: icon photo. The money metro spent on that photo could probably buy the entire prize lot 20 times over. Miss Traffic is like a glitzy storefront that you walk into only to discover that there is no store behind, Austin’s is like a mom and pop store that looks bland on the outside but has everything you need. This entire contest is just a front to post oodles of Miss Traffic posters around town. Someone high up in the Taj Mahal must have decided that that would be better than a less promoted contest with actual prizes.
I think MRLA should consider doing an investigative report on the advertising department at metro.
It’s a good photo, it would go great in a coffee table book with the rest of Metro’s photos, but I don’t think it speaks to anyone really. I think the illustrated style of the i-Ride website and their modern Web 2.0-esque icon speaks to the internet generation, the generation that would have the time/interest/know-how to participate in such a contest. And the problem with the rampant Miss Traffic advertising is that it doesn’t even make it clear that it’s a contest. I notided i-Ride has “street teams” and got on the local news among other things.
One thing I have to say about METRO their stuff has a great look. Whoever is the artistic director over there rocks, but the problem is everything else there is so, so, so, subpar in quality in comparison to that part.
Aesthetically very pleasing, their literature, it looks nice, very nice. I actually collect it, because it looks so nice. It’s not so functional, but this LA, who cares…
Even the Miss Traffic, it’s a nicer campaign than the i-ride.
I think i-ride is cheesy (I hate internet sounding things, I hate “i” it’s I, I, I, WTF…) and the graphic is easy and “trendy.”
Miss Traffic, if it weren’t for the lame prizes, the campaign would work. It’s very clever. The only reason we are ragging on them right now is because it’s so clever and they completely killed it with “you win a t-shirt.” I mean really, is this a joke?
Now if they just got a more attractive person to do those go METRO commercials, someone like me…lol….
He looks like he eats at McDonalds too much, he would not make me want to ride Metro.
That leering weirdo.
Browne
i-Ride is cheesier than “Miss Traffic”??? No way, can’t agree with you on that one Browne. As far as puns go, at least “i-Ride” makes sense. And it SHOULD sound internety since it’s an internet contest aimed at an internet demographic. I don’t know what demographic the “Miss Traffic” pun is attempting to reach, beauty pageant fans I guess? And is there anything in the world more cheesy than beauty pageants? Maybe they were trying to be super meta ironic and reference the Miss Teen 2007 clip that’s been making its rounds on the internet.
>> i-Ride = iPod = cool, young, hip, trendy, stylish, modern, fun
>> Miss Traffic = Miss America = 1950s, sexist, dumb, boring, one-piece bathing suits, cheesy, world peace
I do like your idea for Browne as the new Metro spokesperson!
[...] Miss Traffic Vs. i-Ride Share ItDiggdel.icio.usFacebookRedditStumbleUponTechnorati Email It i-ride • miss traffic • publicity Main>Poll>A T-shirt and Tiara Hang in the Balance | MetroRiderLA [...]
[...] Metro decided to go with a unique domain (or at least a subdomain) with Metro Interactive. Unlike Miss Traffic, which was hidden three directories deep in the Metro site, Metro Interactive can be reach by [...]
Please give the praise to LA. Capital Metro has HORRIBLE ethics.
It’s drivers routinely strand passengers to go clothes shopping or donnut eating. Meanwhile since we do not have cars, we are left stranded with the motor running and the gas idling. With this waste of taxpayer funded money, we are not suprised the transit agency is now finding itself in the red.
Flashy publication graphics and low boarding fares account for very little when you are uncertain if the bus which you need to board will actually get you to your final destination in a timely matter. None of these ‘layovers’ are mentioned in the same publications, which would be a big help for passengers who attempt to accurately plan our trips.
The drivers tell ups solemly they do this to ‘be on time’. But the information we do recieve tells prospective riders that we have to be at a stop earlier than the planned boarding time. If drivers and passengers are getting told two different things, which is the truly accurate version? Having one version of this policy clears confusion—and establishes a trustworthy credible image for the agency throughout the community.
I was yelled at merely for sitting down on a bus seat with a wet coat. The driver was offended that I came in from the rain selectively ignoring what Capital Metro expects riders to use. The supposed bus shelters have metal slats on the rooftop and no back covering–so the rain drips right through, thereby defeating the whole purpose of having a dry place to wait for the bus.
And a driver actually stabbed a passenger who had merely requested that bus quit goofing off and get back to work. The drivers do not understand that they are required to work at a workplace.
Austin TX has a public reputation as a green city, but because of these and other incidents being so well known around the city, people with private autos elect to continue driving. They want to guarantee that they will be able to always get where they need to go.
I’ve ridden the public transit systems of many other American cities, but Austin’s works at keeping horrible employee behavior and thus low ridership. Treat them like the incompetents they actually are.
Wait…there are buses in LA? Just kidding. I do ride, CapMetro that is, and I thought this was a funny contest. It’s easy to give away tons of high-dollar prizes when you are being funded by the City and County. CapMetro has very low ridership for a lot of reasons, some of them being what Robin just mentioned above, and some of them having to do with infrequent runs of relatively few routes. It still beats driving, though. I like my car to sit in the garage, just in case of emergency, but I’d rather not drive it in Austin, or LA!
[...] is going to be. Well, today Metro proudly announced the finalists in the much mocked loved Miss Traffic Contest. The finalists are featured on a page on Metro’s new Interactive website. Rather [...]
[...] aren’t that sexy over in Austin, where you may recall they are holding a similar contest. But, a guy named Chris Stangland has submitted a video that might give Stefanie a run for the [...]
Born and raised in Austin – what a great town.
Been to LA to visit family dozens of times.
THERE IS NO WAY TO COMPARE the 2 transit systems. I will always like LA, but Metro doesn’t even COME CLOSE!!! I can pay ONE DOLLAR for a 24-hour UNLIMITED route pass. That’s what everybody gets here – its called a “DAY PASS” — I can also log into WIFI from several newer HYBRID buses and almost all of the transfer centers, which look like BEAUTIFUL outdoor plazas with nice INDIVIDUAL steal chairs with ARM RESTS while you wait to use the DAY PASS to get on whichever bus you wish (EXCEPT 2 TRANSFER CENTERS YET TO BE UPGRADED on Hwy 183 – those are average).
Like the person above wrote: Yes the drivers take their breaks on your time, 15 to 30 minutes if you are unlucky enough to fall within that time on their 8-hour shift. ***But WHY ON EARTH would you be in a rush while riding ANY city bus in ANY city (duh)? Besides, ATX is LAID BACK. If you are in a rush on a city bus, move to LA or Houston.
*WE ALSO love to get on the FREE – F R E E downtown dillos that zoom you all over downtown and the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS (largest school in the nation)
LOOK AT THIS WEB SITE
http://austin.com
or
http://www.austin-chamber.org/
or
http://www.austin360.com
or
http://www.austin.com/content/blogsection/17/65/
or
http://www.aclfestival.com/default.aspx —- ACL FEST
****** I can get to any of those places then to the next one in less than an hour on cross-town and mid-town routes, or the dillos.
OUR BUSSES ARE SAFE, CLEAN, MODERN & WELL-MAINTAINED. My cousins in LA walk or skip out on events rather than ride LA’s METRO.
THEY REALLY should have paired Austin up with another city just to be fair.
GOD BLESS
Damn. I think Metro just got served.
[...] would be faster/easier/cheaper than a car trip. That’s the kind of publicity that a million Miss Traffic Contests could never bring about. Google Transit does the unheard of by putting public transit on the same [...]
A critical difference exists between being laid back and wasting tax-payer money/trust.
Capital Metro acts suprised it now is financially in the red. But it has yet to explain how clothes shopping trips and driver lounging fit into this transit agency’s self-publicized ‘go’ PR campaign or the mission which it was founded on.
Other transit agencies across the State of Texas already require their breaking drivers (including those drivers who are being contracted from companies) to wait until the bus is empty. Then the drivers click on a ‘not in service’ sign before going on a break–each and every time they are at their workplace.
With such ironclad confidence that the buses we are boarding will not strand us, we know that we will get to our destinations on time using those transit systems. There is no reason for the capital city to attempt having a lower standard of behavior for it’s transit agency and/or contractors.
Of course driver misbehavior does not instill/reinforce community confidence in agency trustworthiness! And a capital city must have a functional transit system so all residents can also get to and participate in ‘laid back events’ such as festivals etc….without being stranded.
Furthermore, as Texas’s capital city, people visiting Austin from areas around the nation/internationally where public transit IS commonplace (ie not just for the poor and/or disabled) will want to use that same system to attempt sealing lucrative business deals with the State. That is if they are not stranded or otherwise abused!
Which transit agency wasted more tax dollars on stupid PR ploys that don’t generate new ridership? Per capita? Stop wasting our money, Metros. You both get a failing grade when it comes to getting people around town effectively and efficiently.
The Bus Riders Union-ATX
I disagree. PR is a very important element for any organization. When done right, and when done in conjunction with providing a great product or service, it can really increase awareness and create success. Increasing awareness and promoting a positive image is very important for something like mass transit which has been marginalized as nothing more than welfare for so long. I suppose this doesn’t apply if you are content with keeping transit as nothing more than welfare, but that’s not my vision for transit.