The Idea

Imagine a digital scavenger hunt, where customers use their smartphones to scan Quick Response (QR) codes to earn virtual badges. The customer who collects the most badges wins. Along the way, they enjoy the fun of exploring and discovering new badges and new ways to unlock them. And, customers can share every aspect of their experience through social media: Facebook, Twitter and others.

This idea was implemented for the Southeast Wisconsin Transit Systems (SEWTS), an area partnership of five transit systems working together to increase ridership and support of public transit. These systems encompass Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Washington and Waukesha Counties.

The “Ride-n-Seek” contest placed signs with QR codes on every bus and at ticket sales outlets across Southeast Wisconsin. Riders could scan these codes to “check in” and earn badges, working toward the end goal of winning a Samsung Galaxy TabTM and free bus passes.

Badges could be earned for a variety of reasons: riding five days in a row, riding each of the participating transit systems, riding on the weekend, riding a specific number of times, riding on specific days of the week and/or holidays and more. These badges were cleverly designed and sported fun names:

• The James Bond badge was earned for checking in 7 times.
• The 9 to 5 badge was earned by checking in every weekday during the contest.
• The Case of the Mondays badge was earned by checking in three Mondays in a row.
• The Morning Dove badge was earned by checking in before 6:00 a.m.

Player progress was tracked via a dedicated landing page, which featured a Leaderboard and real-time reporting of participants’ status. It also included information about the contest and a dynamic display of badges to give customers a “sneak peek” at the other badges they could earn, boosting interest and participation.

Access to the contest was available through desktop computers, mobile devices and tablets. An alternative form of entry was provided in the form of dedicated website addresses to accommodate players without smart phones.

The contest was promoted through e-mail campaigns, banner ads, dynamic digital billboards that reflected the contest status, social media, and television commercials.

The Results

Participation was unprecedented: Check-ins (customers who scanned a QR code) jumped from 610 in week one of the promotion to 2,500 in week two. Weeks three and four were at 4,400 and almost 8,000 check-ins, respectively. Total players doubled from week one to week two (150 to nearly 300), finishing at 460 total players. More than 130 e-mail addresses were added to the SEWTS in-house database for ongoing marketing efforts. The number of visitors to the site for the promotion was 10 times the typical number, and unique visitors were five times the typical level. Even better, a significant percentage of the traffic (35%) was new visitors. Individual page views went from 854 to an astonishing 48,288. The average number of pages viewed per visit during the promotion was seven. Prior to the promotion, visitors typically viewed just one page of the site.

A typical visit to the site lasts approximately 50 seconds, as its purpose is to funnel visitors to their respective transit system site. During the promotion, however, the average time spent on the site was six minutes.

Customer engagement was high, with many posting and submitting comments, including the following: “Hello! I am really enjoying your Other Set of Wheels badge challenge!” “I appreciate your time and this fun contest. It’s really helped me discover new ways of getting around the city, and even to nearby counties.” “I am glad to see you are using contests and other means to raise the visibility of public transit in the Milwaukee Area and to engage riders.”

About Southeast Wisconsin Transit System

Southeast Wisconsin Transit Systems is a partnership between five area bus systems promoting the benefits of riding and dedicated to providing affordable, convenient transportation to all. These systems include Milwaukee County Transit System, Ozaukee County Transit System, Racine County Transit System, Washington County Transit System, and Waukesha County Transit System. Learn more about them at www.yourotherwheels.com.