The Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina invests in initiatives that foster vibrant communities within Research Triangle Park (RTP). To support commuters, the foundation launched RTP Connect, a pilot program in collaboration with GoTriangle and Lyft, offering subsidized rides of up to $10 within service boundaries in RTP.

In order to raise awareness and boost ridership for RTP Connect, the RTP team collaborated with Kompleks Creative to develop a comprehensive visual identity and marketing strategy. Our work included designing a logo, developing a standalone web page, creating marketing materials, and producing a partner toolkit to promote program usage. Additionally, we crafted an email template for ongoing communication and launched a social media marketing (SMM) campaign, which featured video content to highlight the service as a lifestyle enhancement.

The friendly and approachable logo design incorporates simple geometric shapes and rounded letters, symbolizing the connections within RTP. The ‘N’ and ‘T’ subtly mimic the curves of roads and intersections. We extended the RTP brand’s gradient colors to create a soft, cohesive visual identity. The landing page reflects the brand’s fresh, upbeat, and user-friendly feel, with circular photos and overlapping frames for a bubbly and approachable look.

To increase web traffic, we implemented a local search engine optimization (SEO) strategy and a paid digital advertising campaign targeted within the service’s geographic boundaries. These efforts significantly boosted organic impressions, reaching 5,800, with an average search position of 36.5.

The partner toolkit features bright, fun social media graphics and stickers with car illustrations, and we designed a custom map with icons for notable stops within the service boundaries. To further enhance awareness, we distributed posters in high-traffic areas.

The social media campaign featured a mix of videos and posts to communicate the value of RTP Connect. Across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, the campaign generated approximately 700,000 impressions, with a video campaign achieving a 12% engagement rate and over 59,000 plays.

The result is a welcoming, dynamic brand identity paired with a successful awareness campaign, positioning RTP Connect as a convenient and essential service for RTP commuters.