CicLAviais a non-profit organization that catalyzes vibrant public spaces, active transportation, and good health through car-free street events. CicLAvia joined forces with Santa Monica College's IxD program to create an engaging marketing strategy for their audience. Our team, Mini Data, was given the Marketing initiative with the goal of identifying and creating opportunities with outreach materials to help communities deepen their involvement with CicLAvia and its events. Our goal was to improve how CicLAvia engages with people to transform their relationships with the Los Angeles community and with each other, through evergreen content through social media engagement that will all in all drive inspiration and passion from attendees. The content strategy was based on interactive content, challenges, and prompts, turning new audiences into enthusiastic supporters of CicLAvia's mission.
CicLAvia confronts a significant perception challenge, predominantly associated with a cycling event, which inadvertently excludes participants utilizing alternative non-motorized modes of transport. This misperception hinders the event's inclusivity. Additionally, communities where CicLAvia unfolds lack sufficient information about the event, impeding their comprehension of its purpose and potential benefits. Compounded by organizational constraints such as limited staff capacity and budget, CicLAvia struggles to bridge the gap between its diverse offerings and community perceptions. This presents a substantial hurdle in fostering a more inclusive and expansive event experience.
• Concerns exist about the negative attention CicLAvia brings to Boyle Heights and East LA due to ongoing gentrification.
• User-generated content is highly valued, particularly in the form of cute, funny, and entertaining videos.
• Physical marketing has the lowest impact in promoting CicLAvia's event, with social media and word of mouth being the primary sources of awareness.
• CicLAvia's current social media strategy lacks diversity, primarily featuring cyclists in photo posts, and there's a notable absence of videos on the main account page.
• Despite significant engagement on TikTok using the CicLAvia hashtag, there's no official account for the organization, missing out on a crucial platform for younger demographics.
To reshape CicLAvia's perception, our team proposed a marketing strategy that encourages user generated content to be shared by CicLAvia and its followers. The content would encourage participants through prompts to share their story of community, diversifying social media content. Additionally our team would set up CicLAvia Stories stations at event hubs to gather diverse, firsthand narratives, showcasing the variety of attendees with the intention to change the public's perception of who and what CicLAvia stands for.