Today and the near future
Mobility is always changing in response to evolving social interests, demographics, new technologies, consumer preferences, connectedness, alternative energies, and new business models and policies. Future changes are in sight but there is great uncertainty about the pace of change and which mobility options will succeed. Complex interactions between engine technologies, fuel options, refuelling infrastructure, consumer choices, public transit options, new transportation modalities, and government policy might shape the future landscape for mobility.
Some innovations pave the way for new modes of transport and new ways to communicate with users and optimise services.
Several European cities are living examples for the design, development, and testing of many of these new mobility solutions; from soft mobility to ride-hailing apps, from hard infrastructure for self-charging vehicles, to light rail or even aerial trams (UIA, 2021).
How is technological innovation to be deployed and coordinated? Will cities actually switch people from their cars to their bicycles? New technologies will undoubtedly require new forms of policy process, new shared goals, new incentives, and new forms of stakeholder collaboration. This implies a radical change in behaviours and even mind-sets both among policy stakeholders and citizens.
In urban mobility, both for policy development and for service provision per se, the new fuel is data. This new resource will be surely exploited to transform urban mobility.
People use different means of transport with different functions and different destinations and purposes. So, in order to communicate mobility effectively and efficiently, the elaboration of specific, diversified communication methods will be required. Today, this task demands the communication ability of a ‘brand’, i.e. a set of tangible and intangible values able to represent a distinctive identity and promise a unique experience. An accessible, clear, correctly built brand, with contents replenished and transmitted intelligently can help consumers to understand the benefits of sustainable transport, a ‘modal shift’ in mobility or the introduction of a regulation that changes the status quo (Zavatta, 2019).
The correct planning of the communication strategy for sustainable, aware mobility is a critical factor for achieving a quality result in economic and efficiency terms. But maybe more importantly, a political and ethical responsibility towards the new generations, the ones that will deal with the challenge of the future that we are already immersed in.
Communicating consists of wondering ‘why’ about things and sharing clearly the ‘reasons why’ without forgetting that mobility is best expressed in our thought and in our ability to imagine (Zavatta, 2019).
Active communication can have positive impacts only in case of the provision of high-level services, therefore when relevant transport services have been developed before the launch of the communication campaign (Mobilissimus, 413).
A precise planning of the communication strategy for sustainable, aware mobility is a critical factor for achieving a quality result in economic and efficiency terms. But more importantly, a political and ethical responsibility towards the future generations, the ones that will deal with the consequences of the present we are immersed in.
ON THE MEDIA
The SEAT advertisement conveys the message that bicycles are for kids, cars for adults. (Image: SEAT Alhambra advertisement, 2016)
Transport inequality is strongly correlated to economic inequality, it is no coincidence that Oxfam used the image of a bus in its campaign before the 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos to denounce that the richest 80 people on the globe control as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population put together. (Image: OXFAM campaign, 2014)
Movies such as “Das Leben der Anderen” (The Lives of Others) depict a world where technology and surveillance systems are all-pervasive. This raises some scepticism as whether the new generations will be aware of the importance of protecting one’s privacy or how to learn it. (Image: “Das Leben der Anderen” Original poster, 2006)
Hot topics to be considered in communication strategies
Gender
Although this situation is changing slowly, a male and stereo-typically technical perspective still dominates today’s mobility.
Environment & Electric Transport
The electric car market is still small, partly because it is widely perceived as a luxury niche, and not just another means of transportation.
Inequalities
Freedom of movement is one of the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN, 1948) however…
Car as Status symbol
The times in which the car stood as a status symbol in front of the front door are slowly but surely over (Kleebinder, 2018).
Active / Passive Mobility
Active mobility (cycling, walking, roller-skating, etc.) is on the rise, especially in downtown areas…
Mobility Tech
Innovation and technological advances are always at the core of marketing campaigns or communication actions associated with mobility.
Sharing
Advances in information and communication technology are enabling the growth of real-time car-pooling and ride-sharing …
Privacy
One of the main concerns in mobility sharing applications is the exposure of personal data provided to the system.
Innovations: Future influences in Mobility
Future influences in mobility are not only technological. A full range of elements participate in the ensemble of sustainable mobility
Internet & Social Media
The information and telecommunication technologies (ICT) has transformed the mobility of passengers and freight and resulted in several economic and social impacts.
Read more
Nudging Sustainable Mobility
Advances in behavioural science provide a new toolkit of theories, models, and empirical methods for designing transportation programs and evaluating policies.
Social Marketing
Community-based programs to encourage more socially desirable behaviour and represents a new approach for dealing with transportation issues.