Public Communications Campaign Research on Bicycling
The Situation
PeopleforBikes — an industry coalition of bicycling supporters and retailers, as well as a charitable foundation — is dedicated to promoting bicycle infrastructure in urban environments to encourage greater mobility physical, economic and social mobility for citizens. The coalition knows that building a safe, interconnected network of protected bikeways depends on gaining the support of many people. This includes, critically, those who only occasionally bike or never bike at all.
Artemis Strategy Group worked with partner Neimand Collaborative to help PeopleforBikes build a common value proposition around the wider concept of mobility. The goal was to build a campaign that bike enthusiasts advocates and the wider non-biking public could rally around.
We designed a public communications campaign research study to understand:
- Local aspirations and barriers relative to mobility within the community, including physical, financial and social mobility
- What messaging would best solidify existing support and entice new support from known pockets of opposition for biking infrastructure development as a critical component of enhanced mobility
Our Recommendation
We conducted our rigorous quantitative motivation research among a cross section of adults who either live in, commute to (for work or school) or visit each of eight targeted cities across the United States. This work helped the clients better understand people’s aspirations for mobility and how bike infrastructure could help them achieve their personal and civic goals.
The Outcome
Our public communications campaign research found that biking infrastructure, if part of a well thought out plan for infrastructure improvement, could be a win-win-win. First, car commuters win because the bikers have their own space and lanes. Next, pedestrians win because bikers have their own space and lanes. Finally, bikers win because they have their own space and lanes.
Partners Neimand Collaborative created messaging around this effective idea: Everyone has peace on the road when everyone has a piece of the road. PeopleforBikes will use these results to create a public communications campaign in each city aimed at building public interest, involvement and support for initiatives to build new biking infrastructure. The targets for these communications include cities, businesses and political elites in each city.
