%0 Journal Article
%T Moving Forward: The Role of Marketing in Fostering Public Transport Usage
%A Maarten J. Gijsenberg
%A Peter C. Verhoef
%J Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
%@ 1547-7207
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0743915619846869
%X To reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, public policy makers often try to stimulate the use of public transport, as it is a more sustainable alternative to traveling by car. This study therefore investigates the impact of firm-initiated marketing actions and traveler satisfaction on monthly cumulative traveled distance of a Western European railway firm, as well as possible effects of this cumulative traveled distance on satisfaction. Analysis of time-series data on traveled distance, advertising, promotions, and satisfaction using a vector autoregressive model with exogenous variables that accounts for seasonality, trending behavior, and gasoline prices reveals positive effects of advertising and promotions. Advertising elasticities are considerably smaller than meta-analytic values of brand-advertising elasticities. Similarly, promotion elasticities are lower than those frequently reported in marketing. The authors find no effect of satisfaction on traveled distance; however, they do find a negative effect of traveled distance on satisfaction, which could be explained by capacity constraints. The authors conclude that firm-initiated marketing actions are useful and effective in fostering public transport usage
%K advertising
%K promotions
%K public transport
%K satisfaction
%K services marketing
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0743915619846869