2023 Trailblazer Award Winner: Content Campaign
ELEVATOR PITCH:
The ITS Logistics US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index forecasts port container and dray operations for the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf regions. Ocean and domestic container rail ramp operations are also highlighted in the index for both the West Inland and East Inland regions.
Results:
- Began the Index in October of Q4 2022
- Total Mentions: 91
- Total Publicity Value (ROI): $561,579
- Total Estimated Audience Reach: 96,157,939
- Total CNBC Articles: 5
- Total Publicity Value (ROI): $422,580
- Total Estimated Audience Reach: 39,212,855 (Note: “Mentions” are inclusive of all press release pickup, media mentions, media placements, and CNBC coverage.)
The Index Headlines:
- 2022:
- October: ITS Logistics October Port/Rail Ramp Index: Challenges in the Gulf Coast Region for October and November of Q4
- November: ITS Logistics November Port/Rail Ramp Index: Potential Rail Strike and Oakland Port Labor Issues Pose Threat to Supply Chain Industry
- December: ITS Logistics December Port/Rail Ramp Index: Lack of Ocean Chassis at Inland Rail Ramps Proves to be a Concern
- 2023
- ITS Logistics January Port/Rail Ramp Index: Lunar New Year to Increase Inbound Volumes for the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Regions
- ITS Logistics February Port/Rail Ramp Index: Wheeled Container Freight Storage Presents Major Problems for Shippers
- ITS Logistics March Port/Rail Ramp Index: The Lack of an ILWU and PMA Agreement is Cause for Concern as West Coast Ocean Bookings are Impacted
MEASURABLE RESULTS AND OBJECTIVES ACHIEVEMENT:
With a goal of going from unknown to known, one of the big challenges for us as an organization is building our brand at the national level. Within our overall strategy, one of our initiatives is establishing our executive team as thought leaders in the community to share their knowledge. Once the first ITS Logistics Port/Rail Ramp Index was released in October 2022, it was picked up within days by Lori Ann LaRocco at CNBC. Because we didn’t yet have a built-in audience, we put out a press release and were lucky enough to be quoted directly by Lori. Since then, the Index has been recognized and mentioned by reputable industry publications every month, including CNBC, JOC, FreightWaves, Lloyd’s List, and more.
As the Index grew in popularity, we leveraged it for lead generation through both paid and organic social campaigns. As a result, we have received 175 leads from December 2022 to March 2023.
Example Publications and Media Outlets that have used the Index to Present Date:
- FreightWaves NOW
- CNBC (National and International)
- The Loadstar
- Lloyd’s List
- Sourcing Journal
- Voice of the Independent
- The Maritime Executive
- Railway Age
- Supply Chain Brain
- Journal of Commerce (JOC)
- Supply Chain Dive – Transport Dive
- WorldPorts.org
- CSCMP Supply Chain Quarterly
- News Break
- Coastal News Today
BLAZING A TRAIL!
Our executive team is very involved with our customers and regularly visit them to maintain that close relationship. Vice President of Drayage & Intermodal, Paul Brashier, and Senior Vice President, Adam Angle, also regularly visit the rail ramps, port terminals, and ITS yards across North America to stay up to date on what’s happening at the ground level. They began receiving requests from customers about happenings around the ports and rail ramps, largely due to the challenging disruptions of the past few years. There was already an internal communication established at ITS with some of this information, so to create the Index that’s where we began. We added in internal and external data points on demand and traffic, added additional context from the ground-level insight, and regionalized with a heat map. The best part is the “silver lining” ending – an outlook that shares honest and positive advice to navigate today’s ever-evolving supply chain.
View the US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index from ITS
View the PDF copies of the Index here.
