Mobile Behavior: an Omnicom Group Company

For many commuters, mass transit affords the opportunity to be productive (rather than sit in traffic). On a recent MetroNorth commute to Manhattan, I noticed many people reading newspapers or pecking away at their laptops. Some catch up on sleep. Others use the time for entertainment like DVDs, Kindles, and games on their phones.

MetroNorth, like all government run entities, has been hit hard by the economic downturn. They struggle to keep fares reasonable while still providing good service. To offset this decrease in funding, I think there are great opportunities for MetroNorth to generate additional revenues by capitalizing on riders’ commuting behaviors and mobility.

Here are a few simple ideas:

• Connectivity
  During  peak times, everyone is going to or from work. How easy would it be to offer an additional fee to your monthly train ticket to get access to the internet via WiFi? People will pay. Companies will pay on their behalf. This is a big missed opportunity.
• Entertainment Content
  Mobile media has been described as a time-killer. How about some simple advertising to promote games and apps on your phone and take a split of revenues? Multi-player games against other riders would be fun. Jet Blue does it through their TV screens. Why not MetroNorth through mobile phones?
• Social Networking
  There is actually a bar car on certain rush hour trains (there actually used to be bar cars in the morning many years ago!). People enjoy meeting others on the train and have struck life-long friendships on their commute. Imagine MetroNorth making it easy for friends to organize which train they are taking home that night. Or a MetroNorth dating service. OK, maybe you don’t want government agencies involved in your love life, but you get the idea.
• Interactive Ads
  In each vestibule, there are display ads. You have no choice but to read the ads as all seats face them. Recently, I saw a Reuters ad talking about their competitive advantage in getting news out first,  but there is no call to action on how to get in touch with a sales rep. There is another ad for ladies jeans, but I cannot use my phone to find the closest retailer. Very few ads have any mobile call to action despite the fact that nearly every person on the train has a mobile phone and down time.

These are mostly businessmen and women with smartphones and a multi-tasking mindset. On the train, they are essentially captive consumers for 10+ hours a week. Plus, unlike the subway, they actually get reception on the train. Just look to Japan where commuters are glued to their phones -- watching shows, shopping, playing games. It's a part of the culture, and the mobile ecosystem is set up around it. While the dating idea might be a bit extreme, I think that if we provided more opportunities for American commuters to use their phones, especially in a useful or entertaining way, they would.

- Chris Golier