Orange, CA–The Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service, has been awarded two first-place honors for the 2021 annual AdWheel Awards, presented by the American Public Transportation Association.
The AdWheel Awards recognize excellence in the public transportation industry by honoring the “best of the best” in marketing and communications. This year, in an effort to align the AdWheel Awards with organizational and industry strategic goals, a special COVID-19 category was featured to recognize such things as efforts to communicate health information, showcase employees as essential workers, and inform the public about new community safety efforts.
“In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our staff worked tirelessly to execute crisis communications and quickly distribute up-to-date information on service impacts,” said Donna DeMartino, managing Director of the LOSSAN Agency. “As the Pacific Surfliner continued to provide a core-level of service for essential travel, it was critical to communicate ongoing efforts to operate train service in a safe manner for crews and passengers. It is an honor to receive the industry’s recognition in support of our marketing programs that kept the public informed and connected during the pandemic.”
Out of the 363 AdWheel entries received, the highest number of submissions in several years, the LOSSAN Agency was awarded first place awards in two strategic categories:
Pacific Surfliner COVID-19 Communications – Electronic Media (Best Marketing and Communications on COVID-19)
Pacific Surfliner COVID-19 Communications – Social (Best Marketing and Communications on COVID-19)
The LOSSAN Agency’s COVID-19 communications campaigns included digital elements such as website updates, informational articles, virtual experiences on social media, and more. Watch a video highlighting important safety messages and forward-looking messages of hope on the Pacific Surfliner blog.
Entries were evaluated by industry experts and awarded in groups based on system size. AdWheel Award winners will be honored October 3 to 6, 2021, in Philadelphia, PA, at APTA’s 2021 Marketing and Communications Workshop.
