Marketing and product development

What is Marketing and Product Development?

Marketing is a targeted development of the relationship between the company and its customers or market, in which the business must, as far as possible, create the conditions that make the customer want to use as much as possible the service being offered.

Developments and trends

Public transport actors need to increase public transport attractiveness and quality to provide a true alternative to private modes. They therefore have no choice but to focus on customers.

Traditionally marketing has not played a major role in the management of most public service sectors, being mainly dedicated to goods produced and marketed in the private sector. Yet marketing is all the more fundamental due to the characteristics inherent in mobility services: if the transport product consists of the ride between two points, the design of the vehicle and the facilities, as well as ticketing, information, and behaviour may influence the mode of transport chosen.

A marketing strategy is a systemic tool enabling transport managers to identify a market’s expectations, to define the level of quality offered depending on the corporate strategies and to measure the customers’ perception and to process readjustment. At the operational level, marketing provides a wide range of tools that are proven to increase revenues, improve quality and reduce costs. The use of marketing enables a permanent improvement in all customer relations activities like sales, advertising, branding, network design, product specification, complaint management and customer service.

See the UITP Commission on Marketing and Product Development

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CONFERENCE 5th International Marketing Conference Successfully marketing public transport: changing attitudes, influencing demand, increasing performance 7-9 October 2009, Lisbon, Portugal

UITP CommissIon on Marketing and Product Development

Missions and issues    List of members    Information for members

Introduction

The Commission on Marketing and Product Development was created in April 1999, a step that augured the importance of marketing to the future success of public transport. The Commission emphasises learning and exchange of experience by stimulating debates, encouraging brainstorming, and organising workshops and conferences. It covers marketing strategic issues as well as tactical and operational issues, such as customer satisfaction, quality of service, loyalty programmes, branding, targeted marketing to young people and new technologies.

The current Chairperson is Susana Palomino, Metro Bilbao, Spain.

CONTACT: Cécile Sadoux, cecile.sadoux@uitp.org

Missions and Issues

1. Mission

The Marketing and Product Development Commission aims to increase awareness on the importance of a customer-oriented approach to improve public transport attractiveness and use. As in all service activities, a marketing strategy should lead to preserving the existing customers and attract new clients, within the financial parameters of the company or authority.

2. Issues

To fulfil the mission, the MKG looks at the following issues:

• 1. State of the art of existing marketing strategies in public transport
• 2. How to integrate the customer-oriented marketing approach in transport management
• 3. Marketing considerations in establishing a pricing policy (rebates, bonus, simplicity, integrated fares, etc)
• 4. Using effective marketing of public transport to influence modal split in accordance with wider transport policy objectives
• 5. Innovative approaches in the marketing of public transport
• 6. Communication: image and branding
• 7. Loyalty schemes
• 8. Product development and mobility management concept
  
  

List of members

See the list of members

Information for members

The Terms of Reference of UITP Divisions and Commissions are only available to UITP members. Please enter your login and password here and click on the section ‘Working bodies’ in the menu.