Design Strategy

We set out to create a living, breathing extension of our organization. It was determined that the mascot should be as kid friendly as possible while keeping the Rail Runner branding intact. We sent our logo, colors and photos of mascots we liked to companies throughout North America asking their artists to submit proposals. The proposals were narrowed to two designs based on price point and design concept. 

 

A short survey was constructed to gather quantitative data- such as which concept was preferred, which concept was perceived as friendlier, which concept is perceived as faster. The quantitative data was used to determine which design we would proceed with, however, we also gathered qualitative data to determine if any minor adjustments to the design should be made. This survey was distributed only to children with ties to the Rail Runner staff, to preserve mystery and intrigue for the next phase of the campaign.    

We released a photo of the finished mascot to the local media to generate interest as we developed a naming contest that was open to the public. The contest was rolled-out in two stages. The first stage consisted of asking the public to submit name suggestions for the bird. People were directed to the Rail Runner website to cast their vote. As an incentive to submit a name, we offered a prize package to the person who submitted the winning name. More than 800 unique names were submitted.

 

After the popular name suggestions were narrowed down to a list of four by the Marketing Department – Trax, Rio, Ryder and Cruze – we held a second contest asking people to vote on their favorite of the ‘final four.’ In this second stage of the naming contest, voters were once again directed to the Rail Runner website to vote for their favorite name. In the end, Trax was the winning name. The contest winner was invited to help unveil the mascot at the May 2 Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game, and was presented with a prize package consisting of Isotopes tickets, Rail Runner day passes and a bicycle donated by Fat Tire Cycles in Albuquerque.

We leveraged the brand recognition of the Isotopes and their popular mascot Orbit, to launch our own campaign. We chose May 2nd at Isotopes Park in order to best reach our target market, children 15 and under and their families, because it was little league night. 

Over 11,000 people were in attendance to witness the revealing of the mascot and find out his name. Trax threw out the first pitch and then walked around the stadium greeting people, handing out commemorative Trax baseball cards, and posing for pictures. After the game, fans were treated to a Rail Runner sponsored fireworks show.

We parlayed Trax’s immediate popularity into our on-going Rail Safety campaign. Trax is now an integral part of safety presentations throughout our 100 mile corridor. 

For only $5,000 we were able to create a custom mascot that is a living extension of our brand. We used an additional $7,000 for a promotional package with the Albuquerque Isotopes. The package includes