I know this is a silly question but why to railroads do TV commercials? I know they are good PR but most average Joes who watch TV wouldn't be able to ship by rail anyways. Don't get me wrong, I like them but I'm curious as to why railroads would put so much money into things that wouldn't raise traffic levels.
Lone Geep
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They advertise to promote good will with the public in order to curry favor with the public sector which has considerable power over them.
It probably helps deflect some of the complaints about delays at crossings and stuff, too.
After all, nobody ships anything by rail any more, do they? Aren't railroads about gone? Everything goes by truck, doesn't it?
Rhetorical questions, BTW.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
I also don't buy aerial refueling aircraft, Patriot missiles, and F-35s, but I see ads for those too.
Its all about awareness of your product to the wider world.
For the same reason railroads did those promotional films from the 30's through the 50's which are so much fun for us to watch nowadays. It's to tell the rairoad story, what they do, how they do it, why they matter.
Because railway management think it pays them to do so.
From a PR standpoint it likely does.
Norm
What makes you think that people who make large quantity shipping decisions don't watch television? There are a lot of companies out there shipping by truck who are potential rail customers, and there are a lot of trucking companies who are potential multimodal partners.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
There was a time when railroads advertised their services for passenger and freight transportation. I doubt that railroads have run any ads like that in the last several decades.
Today CSX runs ads that make it sound like a big city council. They pitch their concern about safety, community, environment, and wellness. They crow about running the world’s safest and healthiest transportation company. I don’t hear anything about the price of shipping and the speed of delivery.
Bucyrus There was a time when railroads advertised their services for passenger and freight transportation. I doubt that railroads have run any ads like that in the last several decades. Today CSX runs ads that make it sound like a big city council. They pitch their concern about safety, community, environment, and wellness. They crow about running the world’s safest and healthiest transportation company. I don’t hear anything about the price of shipping and the speed of delivery.
Thats kind of a funny promo coming from a company who's initials are still commonly referred to as C-rash S-top & X-plode
Have fun with your trains
BucyrusToday CSX runs ads that make it sound like a big city council. They pitch their concern about safety, community, environment, and wellness. They crow about running the world’s safest and healthiest transportation company. I don’t hear anything about the price of shipping and the speed of delivery.
I agree. These ads are not intended to get new business. They are intended to shape the image of the railroad with the general public.
John WRBucyrusToday CSX runs ads that make it sound like a big city council. They pitch their concern about safety, community, environment, and wellness. They crow about running the world’s safest and healthiest transportation company. I don’t hear anything about the price of shipping and the speed of delivery. I agree. These ads are not intended to get new business. They are intended to shape the image of the railroad with the general public.
But why would CSX be concerned about their image with the general public? How does the image help or hurt CSX if it has nothing to do with selling their product?
Image is everything.
Have you been reading the other threads where folks are bemoaning the facts that railroads are almost invisible to the public? They have no public support when someone wants to tear up the tracks for a trail. Heaven forbid that rails should reopen a route, after all no one needs rail anymore.
If rails are survive as a vital part of our transportation network they need all the public support they can get. The public needs to aware that every rail car reduces wear and tear on our deteriorating highways by replacing 2 trucks.
I'd say that commercials are for the sake of the investors & stockholders, current & future. They're not a selling tool, as such. No business executive decides to move all his freight business over to CSX, or onto rails in general, just because he saw a CSX commercial while watch Beverly Hillbillies reruns. TV commercials give investors and stockholders a warm, fuzzy feeling about the company they are investing in.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Bucyrus John WRBucyrusToday CSX runs ads that make it sound like a big city council. They pitch their concern about safety, community, environment, and wellness. They crow about running the world’s safest and healthiest transportation company. I don’t hear anything about the price of shipping and the speed of delivery. I agree. These ads are not intended to get new business. They are intended to shape the image of the railroad with the general public. But why would CSX be concerned about their image with the general public? How does the image help or hurt CSX if it has nothing to do with selling their product?
So the general public will contact their congressperson and ask them to either support or oppose (as the case may be) legislation on issues involving the railroad.
For example, the latest issue of Railway Age magazine had a column about the next round of re-regulation and open access type legislation that's beginning to appear in Congress. If you have a positive view of CSX(or any railroad) you're more likely to ask your congressperson to oppose reregulation, etc. than if you had a negative view of them.
Jeff
jeffhergert Bucyrus John WRBucyrusToday CSX runs ads that make it sound like a big city council. They pitch their concern about safety, community, environment, and wellness. They crow about running the world’s safest and healthiest transportation company. I don’t hear anything about the price of shipping and the speed of delivery. I agree. These ads are not intended to get new business. They are intended to shape the image of the railroad with the general public. But why would CSX be concerned about their image with the general public? How does the image help or hurt CSX if it has nothing to do with selling their product? So the general public will contact their congressperson and ask them to either support or oppose (as the case may be) legislation on issues involving the railroad. For example, the latest issue of Railway Age magazine had a column about the next round of re-regulation and open access type legislation that's beginning to appear in Congress. If you have a positive view of CSX(or any railroad) you're more likely to ask your congressperson to oppose reregulation, etc. than if you had a negative view of them. Jeff
Yes, that is exactly the reason why the railroads advertise. The message is directed at the government by way of the public.
jeffhergert If you have a positive view of CSX(or any railroad) you're more likely to ask your congressperson to oppose reregulation, etc. than if you had a negative view of them.
If you have a positive view of CSX(or any railroad) you're more likely to ask your congressperson to oppose reregulation, etc. than if you had a negative view of them.
Jeff,
The way I see it is that if you have a positive view of railroads you are more likely not to write your Member of Congress asking him or her to take an anti railroad position. Railroads are unlikely to turn us into cheer leaders for them but they hope to prevent us from becoming their enemies. And they want us to see that things are very different with railroads today than they were in the days of the robber barons.
John
Just keep Amtrak on time thats all we ask....These TV Commericials mus cost at least 30 million a year. More then CSX Claims ot loses on passenger service delays to freight.
In Central PA we get both CSX (we move one ton 500 miles for a gallon of fuel) and the NS (toy story take off) commericals. They do for the same reason GE (yes, talking Trans-Am and a train), OD (your business is our business) and UPS (Brown) play time and time again. This is who we are, this is what we do, and look how we do it. You don't put the message out there, people don't know, don't care don't invest.
Question, out West, does the UP and BNSF run advertisements on TV? In reading UP's anniversary web site, they seem to have cultivated a strong cultural following where the UP is ingrained in folks. Is that still the case? I point to the Rodeo Days as an example.
vsmith Thats kind of a funny promo coming from a company who's initials are still commonly referred to as C-rash S-top & X-plode
I thought it was Crash, Spill, X-plode...
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