RMTD: Pivoting to Innovative New Web Technology

Efficiently moving people around metropolitan areas is an increasingly important public priority in America. Rockford, Illinois, however, is a city in which mass transportation has yet to become widely popular because automobile travel is deeply ingrained it its culture.

In 2017, in an effort to begin to build “choice” ridership, Rockford Mass Transit District chose GrahamSpencer to build a dynamic, more intuitive and functional website. During the build phase of work, RMTD’s old third-party transit application proved unreliable as a data source for the GS’s new trip planning function. An intense search for a new solution led us to pivot to an all-new approach; GS opted to make RMTD one of the first transit authorities in the United States to become part of the new Google Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) program. 

Re-creating and re-integrating RMTD’s unique route data alongside its team, GS created an unexpected technology solution that proved remarkably reliable for our client. Best of all, RMTD now appears as a travel option on inner-city trips anytime users anywhere search Google Maps for local directions. GrahamSpencer also vastly improved the look & feel of RMTD’s digital and offline route maps with new design work. 

Concurrently, RMTD ordered new campaign work to improve its image and attract new riders via creative online and offline advertising that included broadcast/cable ads (also utilized in digital and social environments) that were 100% written, shot and post-produced in-house. The campaign generated outstanding CTRs, video completion rates and 30,000 visits to RMTD’s new website. 

The new GS-designed website won a Gold ADDY in 2017. The digital campaign won both a Gold ADDY and the Best of Show/Digital  ADDY in 2018. Our  “Make an Impact” cable/broadcast/digital spot won a Silver ADDY in 2019.