Many location operators whose turnover depends on the number of visitors still associate accessibility and accessibility very closely with the size of the car park. However, an everyday customer approach through alternative marketing measures for such locations can potentially be the first point of contact with a modern way of thinking in the field of mobility.
That sounds contradictory at first - but it can also be an opportunity to start the transport transition if you design a mobility-focused campaign correctly and take the following points into account.
How, when and where people are travelling is playing an increasingly important role in campaign creation. By this we actually mean taking individual mobility into account as a contextual situation for marketing. Examples of this are the increasing number of setting options and output formats on online marketing platforms that are centred on space and mobility. And in times of digitalisation, it is ultimately also a fundamental question that motivates us:
By using mobility based marketing measures, how do you revitalise commercially orientated streets and city centres in times of online shopping and greenfield shopping centres?
We see mobility-related marketing as a way to improve the imagined and experienced accessibility of these places - in a way that benefits visitors, locations and mobility providers together. The model is the usability in online retail, which has been improving for decades - only translated to mobility and the real accessibility of locations. Digitalisation and the mobility revolution: Two good reasons to take a closer look at current opportunities for mobility-related campaigns.
Distribute information about POIs via online marketing based on location and with mobility-related user characteristics.
Marketing-related distribution of micro-vehicles (e.g. bike taxis, e-scooters).
Out-of-house advertising at railway stations, bus stops, bike hire or mobility stations.
Location-based offers in the bonus or incentive systems of mobility providers (e.g. BahnBonus, Rad+)
Integration of location-based information and incentives in mobility apps and services.
Marketing through charging infrastructure, shared mobility stations or public transport stops at branch locations.
A good example of the integration of mobility services to improve location accessibility are the deals offered by the free-floating car sharing provider Miles. With its "toom deal", Miles customers can drive to a toom shop and receive reimbursement for interim parking - at least for one hour.
When it comes to marketing, there is usually no way around the industry leader Google. This also applies to POI campaigns. The advertising giant utilises its dominant market position in map services through its Google Maps app. For around a year now, Google Maps users have also been ‘nudged’ - i.e. influenced in their behaviour - when navigating routes.
The "Edeka glows" campaign, which was designed and implemented by Bike-Taxi Berlin , was an interesting promotional campaign on behalf of an Edeka shop. The campaign aimed to appeal to people in the neighbourhoods surrounding the shop in order to strengthen Edeka's brand image, increase customer loyalty and attract new customers. The campaign was realised by using bicycle taxis, which enabled people to travel to and from the supermarket free of charge.
Even if the above examples are generally related to large cities, there are many options and scope for implementation in the countryside or in smaller towns in rural areas. As part of the Smart Village e. V. Mobility Campus project, we are investigating the possibilities in Bad Belzig and Wiesenburg in the very rural Hohen Fläming region.
In 2022, Rossmann organised an interesting campaign called ‘Car-free Saturday at Rossmann’. The aim was to ‘create an attractive incentive to leave the car behind wherever possible’. The measures implemented were:
All in all, Rossmann drew a very positive traffic balance: according to the press report, 0.5 million people actually arrived on the campaign day without a car. The rough calculation of the CO₂ emissions saved resulted in 300 tonnes with an avoided traffic performance of 1.25 million kilometres driven. The basic assumptions of the calculation are listed transparently in the press release.
In our view, a lot of things were done right in this campaign: pragmatic incentives were created, small, campaign-like offer accents were set with the bike taxis and the rededicated parking bays, additional communication channels were used and a timely assessment of the campaign was published.
Nevertheless, there is still a feeling that the promotion will have no long-term impact on traffic. Every person who said the keyword at the checkout probably benefited from the discount. Even though we greatly appreciate trust-based measures, they are still susceptible to abuse. Moreover, the measures chosen were very temporary and lacked any recognisable continuity.
The following measures could be used to launch a campaign tomorrow and reduce susceptibility to greenwashing through concrete actions:
In our view, a transfer or relaunch of the campaign would be a good start for POS in the area of mobility transition. Such a campaign represents a forward-looking and low-threshold opportunity for retailers to try out ideas, gain experience and at the same time stand out in the public eye.
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