BATMA: Working for a better Buckhead

Overview

BATMA is a partnership of private businesses, public agencies and residential and civic associations within the Buckhead community.  BATMA works cooperatively with community and regional partners to improve mobility, accessibility and air quality in Buckhead by sponsoring programs and providing incentives to encourage commuters to take transit, carpool, vanpool, telework, bike and walk to work.

Objectives

BATMA turned to Cookerly for a range of public relations services to raise visibility of its programs and increase participation. With the agency’s extensive transportation and air quality experience, Cookerly has been helping BATMA achieve its goals since November 2005.

Strategy and Tactics

Cookerly supported BATMA on a variety of projects, including:

Piedmont Corridor Transportation Study: Using media relations and direct communications, Cookerly successfully promoted public meetings to gather input during the final phase of a $200,000 traffic mobility study. Cookerly then wrote the executive summary for the final report and turned it into a two-page flier to promote the new vision.

’Pool Perks Incentive Program: Cookerly created a two-person carpool incentive program to drive participation, developing the ’Pool Perks program name, directing logo development and creating a comprehensive marketing plan for implementation.

the buc: Faced with a significant budget cut, BATMA was forced to reduce the buc’s hours of service. Cookerly successfully navigated the shuttle service through these changes by creating and implementing an awareness campaign to educate current riders about the changes and to market the service to potential new riders. Communications materials included website content, building lobby displays, letters for key stakeholders and media placements.

Go Green and Commute Clean: Cookerly helped BATMA develop a program to find Buckhead’s greenest commuters, employers and property managers. For the Go Green and Commute Clean Challenge, we also provided marketing collateral design and production, media relations and event planning.

Results

Cookerly has consistently met or exceeded BATMA’s goals for these and other projects. Results include high-profile placements in the Atlanta Business Chronicle (its primary target publication) about the Piedmont Corridor study and Peachtree Boulevard improvements; helped maintain higher levels of ridership than anticipated; hundreds of carpools registered in the ‘Pool Perks program; and thousands of commuters participating in the Go Green and Commute Clean Challenge.