West Hollywood’s kickoff campaign for the “PickUp,” the free weekend night trolley on Santa Monica Boulevard, has been chosen as one of four finalists for an annual award by the Los Angeles chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
The “PickUp” campaign is competing in the “new product/service launch” category. Other finalists include Blue Shield of California, Hyundai and Nestlé. The winner will be announced at PRSA-LA’s PRism Awards on Nov. 19 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The event is the largest gathering of leaders from greater Los Angeles-area public relations agencies, corporations, nonprofit and government organizations.
“The PickUp continues to exceed our expectations for attracting riders and attention,” said West Hollywood Mayor John D’Amico. “West Hollywood folks use The PickUp on Friday and Saturday nights as part of their night of fun … We’re reaching folks who would not normally use ‘public transit’ and this means more fun, less traffic and safer streets: clearly a winning combination.”
The PickUp (also known as the WeHo PickUp) trolley service was launched by the city as a pilot program in August 2013. The West Hollywood City Council voted to continue the program in January 2014. The PickUp is an alternative to driving for people who go out to bars and restaurants on or near Santa Monica Boulevard on Friday and Saturday nights.
In April 2014, the PickUp won top honors from the California Association of Public Information (CAPIO) in a statewide competition for distinction in communications programs. West Hollywood was presented with CAPIO’s Award of Excellence, First Place, in the category of “Achievement in a Marketing/Communications Campaign.”
The PickUp trolley features a bright palette of sexy graphic characters, which can loosely be interpreted as pop art from the 1960s. Onboard music thumps to beat mixes by DJ Derek Monteiro. Adding the service to a busy stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard helps to curb drunk driving, eases parking and reduces traffic congestion.
The city has used social media to promote the PickUp to users of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A rewards program, the PickUp Perk, was developed to encourage local business involvement, as well.
The PickUp runs on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. It travels along Santa Monica Boulevard in a four-mile loop with 10 stops in each direction between Robertson Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. It arrives at stops every 15 minutes.
wow, an award winning free bus wrapped in cling film. brilliant,
la loves to give itself awards.
And imagine if it extended EAST of FAIRFAX!
Think how great this would be if it were a real trolley that people could use the entire day! Bring the Red Car back to SM Blvd!
LOVE the trolley. HATE the awful, too-loud music.