Start talking transportation with people at a cocktail party
or social gathering and you’ll likely see their eyes glaze over. As far as
topics go, it’s one of the least sexy things you can bring up. While not the
first topic on everyone’s mind, it’s a very important aspect of economic
development and daily life.
Below are a few notes from the event highlighting key
takeaways.
Investment Cost
Most transportation projects involve some type of investment. To win over support
it’s important to get buy in from both the public and private sector. The common
question often asked is, “What does the investment yield?”
While not a simple answer, using info available from engineers and other
technical folks communications professionals can paint a better picture of what
the project will entail and explain potential risks involved. The more
information available the better; it allows internal communications professionals
to strongly advocate for the organization’s point of view to media and influencers.
Preparation is key to executing a successful communications strategy. Travis
from
WSDOT put it well saying you can
only communicate what you know to stakeholders and media. WSDOT particularly
prides itself in looking extensively at its projects before beginning
construction and is focused on limiting the number of surprises which might
occur. Before conducting outreach, it’s important to analyze your story for
holes or potential issues.
Use Data with Care
There is no shortage of data these days. Thanks to wired devices and the
widespread use of sensors, information about transportation projects is
especially easy to collect and share. That being said, it’s important to use
data correctly and provide proper context to prevent misinterpretation. This
frequently happens with percentages. Mike from the
Seattle Times mentioned
many people don’t know how to use percentages correctly and when left to their
own devices and agendas may use the information to construct stories which may
not be 100% true.
To prevent information from being used incorrectly, Travis
recommended considering how to display it and keeping in mind your audience.
Display types can vary; options include
infographs,
detailed
blog posts,
videos,
and other creative options. As far as audience is concerned, location matters.
The Seattle area is particularly challenging to deal with when communicating
highly technical information because of the region’s
highly educated population.
A good example shared by Travis was the Skagit bridge
collapse. He went on to say many people in the area actually know technical
terms such as ‘
fracture
critical.’ To compensate WSDOT will generally share very detailed
information because it knows the audience will likely be able to understand its
complexity and many of the media outlets in the region will take the time to
drill down into the data and explain the issue in depth.
Storytellers and
Gatekeepers
It’s no secret; the
media
landscape has changed and continues to change. Most newsrooms are adjusting
to cuts in staff and the method content is gathered and consumed by audiences.
Mike illustrated this point best when he explained that many newsrooms are now
generally outnumbered by internal communications folks.
The internal side isn’t immune to the shift either. While
it’s now easier than ever to share your own content thanks to social media,
influential sources still have a stake in how you’re story is told. In the
Seattle media market this shift is particularly evident in print media. The
city now only has
one major
newspaper and is host to a collection of other nontraditional outlets such
as the
Stranger,
Crosscut, and
Publicola to name just
a few. While the variety is great for internal communications professionals,
the function of new media sources isn’t always the same as traditional media
outlets. For example, many nontraditional outlets such as the Stranger are
often highly opinionated and don’t follow the “rules of journalism,” i.e. embargos, fact checking, balanced
reporting, etc. That being said, great
coverage can come out of outlets like the Stranger which has won a Pulitzer and
is often the authority on stories such as the closing of the
Orion
Center.
There is no perfect coping mechanism for dealing with these
changes. Instead, the panel seemed to agree it’s important to strike a balance.
For media this means working closely with internal teams to gather the best
information and for internal communication folks it’s about picking your
outlets wisely – sometimes you can get burned or misinterpreted if you go with
the wrong outlet.
Transportation Brands
Branding for transportation is a tricky subject. While it’s tempting to
focus heavily on individual projects, it’s best to advocate for the agency as a
whole. WSDOT recently experienced this with its deep bore tunnel project along
Seattle’s waterfront. Shortly after the start of the project the agency
frequently used the machine’s nickname, “Bertha” when referring to the project.
Initially this generated interest from media outlets and people on social
networks but when the project ran into trouble (literally) a few politicians
and naysayers quickly latched on to the nickname and began to use it as a way
to bash the project as a whole. Media also quickly stepped away from the cute
factor and began to scrutinize it closer.
Mike closed out the discussion about transportation branding
well. Stepping back from the Bertha issue, he advocated for viewing the WSDOT brand
as an entire agency, not individual projects. He went on to say the agency’s
brand is more about information and hyperawareness. This argument can be
witnessed across Washington’s highway network. WSDOT provides a wealth of
useful updates on the
web, digital reader
boards and social media (WSDOT’s
Twitter
account is incredibly helpful and does a good job at making traffic interesting
– lots of well-timed jokes).
Closing Remarks
Transportation may not be as sexy as iPhones or the latest
celebrity gossip but it’s an important part
of our daily lives. After all the products we use are shipped from somewhere
and commutes are directly impacted by the quality of transportation
infrastructure.
