By Andrew Selden, Railway Age Magazine; October 7, 2019
Years ago, the Minnesota Association of Railroad Passengers ran an experiment. It published a quarter-page print ad in a weekly “shopper” newspaper in a small town in North Dakota served by the Empire Builder. The paper laid out the ad for free. It had no glitz, no slogans, just hard information: when and where the train went, where it connected to others, sample fares, onboard amenities, and the local station address and telephone. No “800” number, no web address, no ad agency fees. The ad ran four weeks in mid-Fall, when coach seats are abundantly available.
The local Amtrak agent (remember them?) monitored the results. The agent was astonished at the number of calls and visits to the station (which tapered off starting about two weeks after the insertions ended). Many in this small town and its hinterland said they were unaware that the train even existed, or where it went. Sales skyrocketed. Incremental sales over the baseline at this one station during the experiment accounted for a 1,700% return on the cost of the four print ads.