How do you persuade people to travel differently?

How do you ensure that people are prepared to change their travel behaviour? And how do you get employers and partners so enthusiastic that they contribute to this mobility transition? Juul Franssen, communications advisor at Brainport Bereikbaar, explains how the communications team contributes to these challenges.

'Whatever you develop for the mobility transition - from shared mobility to bike school - it is pointless if people do not use it. Our task as a communications team is therefore to make our mobility solutions visible and to ensure that travellers actually use them', says Juul. 'That starts with awareness about travel choices, presenting new possibilities and emphasising their impact. We then focus on encouraging different behaviour. That is only possible if we respond well to the needs of travellers and address them effectively.'

From research to campaigns

The communications team works closely with the behavioral experts of Brainport Bereikbaar and with campaign agencies. 'Listening carefully to our target groups is essential. That is why we conduct research into needs and develop clear behavioral strategies and related campaigns based on that. A good example is the Oxy campaign. We asked a lot about people's motives. Hardened drivers said that they could not get out of their cars. But when asked 'do you want to be outside more often?' they often gave a positive answer. We then used the campaign slogan 'Give yourself more air' to convince people to take the bike more often.'

Visible together on the street

The communications team also pays a lot of attention to visibility on the street and collaborating parties. 'Showing solutions in practice is very effective and we do this regularly. Like the drive-together campaign that will start next Monday. This includes two apps that we promote at locations throughout the region. Such actions can of course only be done in collaboration with other parties. Moreover: if we send out the same message together with municipalities, educational institutions and employers, we make an even greater impact. That is why we also focus our communication on employers, educational institutions and governments, and like to work together with their communication specialists.'

Smart distribution

Next year, Brainport Bereikbaar will work more area-oriented. 'For us, this means that we will link even more communication projects and campaigns to specific issues in the region. We always look at a good regional distribution and a smart distribution throughout the year. The current Samenrijd campaign makes sense in the winter period, the holiday campaign was that in the city centre last period. This spring, we are encouraging cycling, and a shared mobility campaign will probably follow in the autumn.'

Recognizable, visible, findable

At the same time, the team keeps the basics of communication in good order. 'We want to be easily recognizable, visible and findable for everyone who wants to do something in mobility in this region. That is why we continue to develop resources such as our newsletter, the website and social media content to increase conversion. Information and knowledge sharing are also part of our tasks and we do this by organizing events, webinars and seminars, among other things. We also help mobility brokers to profile their projects and initiatives well. Finally, we try to make the effects of everything we do as measurable as possible. This way we can always see whether our work contributes to our ultimate goal: results on the street!'

Do you also want to work on sustainable mobility in your organization as a communications advisor? Contact Juul via juul.franssen@brainportbereikbaar.nl. We are happy to help you on your way.