Marketing and promotion

A well-planned and well-managed communication strategy is crucial to the success of any Travel Plan.

However comprehensive the range of measures in place, they will have no impact unless staff are fully aware and engaged with the Travel Plan process.

Ideally a communication strategy should be developed at the outset. In larger organisations enlist the support of the communications team and ensure they fully understand the aims and objectives of the Travel Plan and the Travel Plan process.

A useful way to achieve this is to include a member of the team on the Travel Plan steering group.

Be Positive

The Travel Plan must not be seen to be an anti-car initiative as this will simply alienate many people, especially those who may feel they have no alternative.

Highlight the positve benefits of car sharing and eco-driving and that reducing the number of trips made by car through forward planning or smarter working is also part of the Travel Plan.

Key Steps

There are four key steps when developing a communication strategy:

• identify the key messages - staff need to understand why the plan is being developed and why it has senior management support.
• identify the markets - the communication must reach every individual in the organisation so they can be properly informed about the Travel Plan and the measures being implemented as part of it.
• identify the methods of communication - this could be line management, HR, union representative, newsletters, pay slips, intranet/internet, team meetings, user groups or promotional events
• create a brand image - this enables all travel and transport-related activities that come under the Travel Plan umbrella to be identified. It also sends a clear message that the Travel Plan is part of the organisation's culture and not just a passing phase.