Metro Rewind

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

BACKGROUND:

Few sectors suffered such long-term setbacks from COVID-19 as public transportation. In DC, with federal employees working from home in the pandemic’s aftermath, the ridership plunge was particularly acute. If the need to commute was gone, how could marketing ever hope to help get people riding again?

CONSUMER BELIEF:

Behavioral research made one thing clear: The only way to boost ridership was to improve customer satisfaction. The rub? Frequent riders already knew Metro had improved—fewer delays, better service, cleaner trains. In fact, satisfaction was at an all-time high.

Lapsed riders were a different story though. Many still had negative misperceptions of a Metro experience that has vastly improved since their last trip, some six years ago.

Overcoming this negative bias wouldn’t be easy. But if we couldn’t convince them otherwise, maybe someone they trusted could. So, we doubled-down with our base of loyal riders and inspired them to turn their satisfaction into evangelism.

BELIEF INTERSECTION:

In 2023, WMATA provided Metro customers with access to an annual ridership recap. It was informative if not inspiring. But what if we reframed and reimagined that data into something more deeply personal for 2024? Something that didn’t just tell riders where they’d been, but who they were?

Metro partnered with WHITE64 to transform the ridership data into a vibrant, insightful, and—most importantly—shareable experience called Metro Rewind. Together, we turned riders’ trips into a reflection of their personality and, in the process, showed how essential WMATA is to the DMV lifestyle.

• Your ridership patterns revealed your Metro Persona—were you an Explorer, a 9-to-5er, a Social Butterfly?
• Your most-traveled stops unlocked curated local recommendations—hidden-gem destinations and experiences that fit your unique Metro story.
• Your stats became a badge of honor, sparking competition among riders who suddenly weren’t just taking Metro—they were owning their ridership habits.

RESULTS:

With support from in-system signage, paid social, and influencer marketing, Metro Rewind spread quickly:

• 70,000+ visits on launch day alone, with a total visitation of over 150,000.
• #MetroRewind trended locally with riders shared their Rewinds on social, turning it into a workplace challenge.
• Over 7.4 million media impressions, across social, digital and broadcast channels, including coverage from major ABC and FOX affiliates

In all, we reminded the city that Metro wasn’t just a means of transportation but a part of our shared identity. With ridership climbing once more, its success has already set the stage for an even more personal and impactful experience in 2025.

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