CHICAGO — When the Chicago Transit Authority unveiled its snarky, tongue-in-cheek "courtesy campaign" in May, we fell in love: the thirteen ads took aim at the worst commuting offenses, from riders who eat on trains and buses and loud cell phone-talkers to litterbugs and wannabe train DJs.
Chicago transit riders weren't the only ones who warmed to the CTA's lighthearted warnings. On Wednesday, the American Public Transportation Association announced that the Chicago transit campaign had been named the winner of its annual AdWheel Awards, a national prize awarded at the group's annual meeting in San Francisco Tuesday.
CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. said in a statement that he was "proud to accept the APTA Grand Award on behalf of CTA, but am even prouder still of the work we’re doing at CTA to foster discussion among our customers about their CTA experiences."
“We will continue to innovate and look for fresh and unique ways to prompt that dialogue," Carter said.
Lizzie Schiffman Tufano discusses the snarky campaign:
These offending behaviors were culled from the top complaints submitted to the transit agency on social media, via calls and emails and through observations by CTA personnel, according the CTA.
“The overwhelming majority of CTA customers are considerate of their fellow passengers,” said Graham Garfield, General Manager of Customer Information. “However, based on feedback we’ve received from passengers, we believe this public service campaign will help improve the transit experience by continuing the dialogue about courtesy among our customers.
"We hope it will encourage customers to think more about courteous behavior on CTA trains and buses," CTA representatives said at the time.
The CTA last ran a courtesy campaign in the early 2000s, according to a release.
Check out the full campaign below:
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