Escambia County Area Transit representatives took home six awards at the 2015 Florida Public Transportation Association Marketing Awards Competition, including the coveted Best of the Best Award presented during the annual conference in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Oct. 26.
The awards are hosted each year to recognize transit systems throughout Florida for their creative and effective marketing campaigns and projects promoting public transportation. Competing against all other transit systems in the State of Florida, marketing entries were judged by experienced panelists and scored on innovation, production quality and overall effectiveness.
The Best of the Best Award is chosen from all first-place award entries in each category and serves as the top award of the competition. ECAT received the award for the transit system's year-long community outreach initiative, ECAT Harmony - â Fall in Love with ECAT.
ECAT Harmony
ECAT Harmony was an interactive year-long campaign launched in 2014 to raise awareness about the system, encourage people to hop on board, and foster communication between current riders and ECAT. Throughout the campaign, ECAT saw almost 13,000 visits to the ECAT Harmony website, which really showcased the interest that the campaign garnered from current and potential riders.
ECAT Military Veteran Tribute Bus
ECAT paid tribute to active military and veterans and thanked them for their service by creating a â Military Appreciation Bus, which displays local iconic military landmarks. Unveiled at the Annual Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show, the ECAT â Military Appreciation Bus was viewed by over 110,000 people in attendance.
ECAT Youth ART Contest & Dump the Pump Event
ECAT paired the Youth Art Contest with â Dump the Pump Day activities on June 18. ECAT partnered with the School District and other community organizations to bring awareness of public transit benefits to students. The contest was open to pre-K to 12th grade, with over 200 students who submitted artwork.
Our team was humbled and truly honored to be recognized so highly for our efforts, especially at a statewide level, said Tonya Ellis, ECAT Marketing and Community Relations Director. By conducting these types of marketing initiatives, ECAT is able to truly connect and communicate with our riders and the community as a whole. We are so thrilled to receive this level of state recognition for ECAT, Escambia County and our Panhandle Region.
The ECAT Harmony campaign also took home the statewide Judges Favorite Award, given to the project that most effectively caught the attention of panelists. Other top awards for ECAT included:
- First Place Award for Sustaining Campaigns - ECAT Harmony - â Fall in Love with ECAT
- First Place Award for Exterior Bus Graphics - ECAT Military Veteran Tribute Bus
- Third Place Award for Special Event & Campaigns - Earth Day Initiative
- Third Place Award for Potpourri Category - Youth Art Contest & Dump the Pump Day
For more information about ECAT, visit goecat.com or call Tonya Ellis at (850) 595-3228.
