The Greater Dayton RTA Communications team was the recipient of three Hermes Creative Awards — one platinum, one gold, and one honorable mention — for its electronic media, print media, design, and social media work when marketing the launch of The Flyer service in 2018. More than 6,000 submissions were entered and judged for the 2019 Hermes awards.

The RTA received the highest honor, the Platinum Award, for its print media with integrated marketing and product branding of The Flyer service. This included incorporating the design of the bus — which is a bright, navy blue with hot pink and lime green accents that depict Dayton landmarks — and blending that brand into the agency’s marketing materials such as posters, post cards, and coasters that were delivered to local businesses, and the agency’s promotional items.

A Hermes Gold Award was received for the RTA’s Flyer print media, design, and marketing materials. This included the actual design of the bus, created by RTA Graphic Designer Cara Wood. The award also included her work to design posters and postcards with The Flyer branding to promote the service. The RTA also received an Honorable Mention for its social media videos and video advertisements, created with Dayton-based DHP Studios video production, to market The Flyer service and special events in the months after the launch.

The inspiration for the design for The Flyer campaign was illustrating how the transit option would connect people with the community and experiences around them, Wood said.

The Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing, and design of marketing and communication programs and print, visual, and audio materials. The awards are administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

Since its launch in November 2018, the RTA’s Flyer service has doubled its number of daily riders, now surpassing more than 1,600 riders each weekday and more than 600 riders on Saturdays. The RTA Communications team worked closely with sponsors at Premier Health and CareSource and partners at the University of Dayton and the city of Dayton to spread the word about the new service to workers, residents, and students in the downtown Dayton area.