TRANSPORTATION

Presto

CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY

With the support of the Ontario government, the nine transit operators in the Greater Toronto Area came together to plan and implement a new fare card that would make paying for transit easier. The system is similar to ones used in Hong Kong, London and Atlanta. Customers load and add value onto a chip card. Customers benefit because they no longer have to carry various kinds of fares when transferring between different systems, and transit operators benefit because they are able to gather critical rider information and avoid fraud. We helped create excitement around this new way to pay by developing a brand that could stand up in the noisy public environment.

RESULTS

Using research with transit users, we developed a brand positioning and platform that was the basis of a name for the fare card and a visual style. The name had to work in both English and French and also should not have any unintended meaning in the many languages spoken in the GTA. We created the name Presto to tap into the idea of the magic. The TO for Toronto at the end was an added plus. The prototype was launched successfully in September 2007.

OUR ROLE

Brand research methodology, brand positioning, stakeholder management, name creation, brand creative direction

PARTNERS

Gee Jeffery Partners, The Strategic Counsel (research)