Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
JULY 16, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: ADVERTISING AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to execute Modification No. 2 to Contract No. PS123964000 with GP Generate, LLC to continue to provide advertising and communications services in the amount of $2,871,750, increasing the contract value from $1,579,463 to $4,451,213.
Issue
ISSUE
Media buying, often referred to as advertising, enables strategic placement of communication materials including ads across a multitude o
f media channels to reach different audiences and environments with custom messaging to address riders' specific needs. Strategic media buying ensures Metro's transit information and recommendations reach the right audiences, empowering riders to navigate the County efficiently and encouraging non-transit riders to try using Metro.
Board action is requested to continue to provide advertising and communication services to support ridership growth and brand building initiatives. Approval of the recommended contract modification is needed to ensure uninterrupted media planning and buying services for Metro initiatives that cannot be supported with existing internal resources.
Background
BACKGROUND
At its January 2025 meeting, the Board awarded Contract No. PS123964000 to GP Generate, LLC in the amount of $1,579,463 to support Metro's marketing and advertising campaigns aimed at building the brand and growing ridership. The contract provides specialized media planning and buying services that enable Metro to strategically place advertising across multiple media channels and reach diverse audiences. Because Metro does not have the internal resources to implement complex advertising buys, these services are essential to delivering timely transit information, promoting Metro programs and services, and maximizing the effectiveness of advertising investments.
GP Generate, LLC plans, purchases, and executes media advertising campaigns to support the department in achieving the agency’s business and communications goals. The project scope consists of the following services:
• Advertising Strategy
• Media Planning and Buying
• Analytics and Insight
• Creative Development
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Following contract execution, demand for advertising planning and implementation grew significantly as multiple departments across the agency advanced critical projects that required robust communication. This demand further accelerated as Metro prioritized key initiatives, including the A Line to Pomona and D Line Extension grand openings in addition to campaigns for the 2026 FIFA World Cup ,TAP Open Payment, GoPass and LIFE fare programs. Importantly, the contractor’s work includes identifying and placing ads in multicultural media outlets to ensure Metro services are advertised equitably.
The volume and complexity of the extra work required by other departments within the agency to support initiatives and projects like TAP Open Payment, 511, Mobility Wallet, for example, far exceeded initial projections, increasing contract utilization to approximately 96% of the original contract authority within the first year alone.
During this period, GP Generate, LLC also supported Metro's fare programs, including LIFE and GoPass, helping Metro move beyond traditional advertising by transforming Metro's partnership with LA Care into an integrated content and community engagement strategy that produced some of Metro's highest-performing social content, generating strong engagement, positive sentiment, and organic word-of-mouth promotion. LIFE marketing drove more than 100,000 new registrations while generating 31 million impressions and nearly 400,000 landing page visits at costs 40-65% below industry benchmarks. The addition of Paid Search confirmed strong organic demand, capturing high-intent searches from eligible riders actively looking for the program and translating awareness into enrollment.
For GoPass, GP Generate, LLC helped expand outreach beyond traditional school-based communications by developing interactive community activations that directly engage students and families through hands-on experiences, branded activities, and youth-focused engagement opportunities. GoPass continued to deliver strong program performance, with 144,563 new and renewed registrations and 117,224 active participants, representing an 81% activation rate. This high conversion from enrollment to active use demonstrates that marketing investments are effectively driving awareness, sustained participation, and continued ridership among eligible students.
Two specific campaigns contributed to the larger than forecasted expenditures during this period: the launch of the D Line Extension and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
GP Generate, LLC produced a comprehensive, multilingual launch campaign for the D Line Extension, leveraging English, Spanish, and Korean-language media. The campaign required several shifts in media planning and purchases including potential street-level advertising across from the Wilshire/Fairfax station using the Los Angeles County Museum of Contemporary Art’s building banners to securing Korean language out-of-home advertising. Through coordinated video, radio, print, digital, and out-of-home advertising, the campaign generated more than 27 million impressions, building broad public awareness and support for one of Metro's most significant transit investments. The D Line marketing campaign successfully introduced the new extension to the public, helping drive a 62% increase in D Line ridership following the opening. The three new stations attracted an estimated 8,000-10,000 new daily riders, contributing to Metro's highest rail ridership in more than six years and demonstrating strong public demand for the new service.
The second campaign expenditure was to support Metro’s high-profile 2026 FIFA World Cup. The campaign required augmented media planning and implementation in real-time throughout the tournament. For example, the forecasted budget did not anticipate additional spending to generate greater awareness for Metro’s park and ride locations. The World Cup campaign is projected to generate nearly 90 million impressions and more than 39 million video views through a multilingual, integrated media strategy spanning premium digital, social, video, audio, Connected TV, radio, and iconic out-of-home advertising. The campaign represents one of Metro's largest and most visible marketing investments, positioning Metro as the transportation network of choice during one of the world's largest sporting events.
The requested increase is based on the current forecasted workload for the remainder of the base contract term, including Vermont BRT, Northeast San Fernando Valley BRT, preparations for Super Bowl LXI, SoCal 511, Mobility Wallet, and East San Fernando Valley Light Rail.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The contractor may be required to conduct tasks on Metro property where customers and operations may be active. All safety requirements will be met with requisite training and clearance as established by Metro Safety and Operations protocols.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Funding of $500,000 for this contract is included in the FY27 Adopted Budget, in cost center 7140, Marketing, under projects 306001 - Operations Transportation and 300033 - Rail Operations - C Line.
Since this is a multi-year contract supporting multiple departments across the agency, this contract mod request of $2,871,750 is to anticipate agency-wide service needs over the remaining contract term. Future contract expenditures will be funded through the respective departmental cost centers based on anticipated services. Cost Center Managers will be responsible for budgeting funds in future fiscal years.
Impact to Budget
The source of funding for this action will come from federal, state, and local funding sources that are eligible for bus and rail operations.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
GP Generate, LLC (GPG), a Small Business Enterprise (SBE), made a 42.96% SBE commitment and 6.53% Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) commitment on this contract. Current participation levels are 97.37% SBE and 0% DVBE, exceeding the SBE commitment by 54.41% but falling short of the DVBE commitment by 6.53%. GPG’s efforts to mitigate the DVBE shortfall are included in Attachment C.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled_Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT. This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through investment activities that will benefit and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. The services mentioned in this board item promote transit alternatives such as Metro's GoPass and LIFE program. The intended outcome of these efforts is increased ridership and reduced reliance on personal vehicles. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommended action supports the following Metro Vision 2028 Strategic Plan goals:
Goal 1: Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling
Supports customer communications, rider education, and awareness efforts associated with system expansions, fare programs, and regional transportation initiatives.
Goal 2: Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system
Supports customer experience communications, service information, and regional event readiness efforts.
Goal 3: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity
Supports equitable outreach, multilingual communications, and awareness of affordability programs including LIFE and GoPass.
Goal 4: Transform LA County through regional collaboration and national leadership
Supports regional transportation communications and major event readiness efforts associated with FIFA World Cup 2026, Super Bowl LXI, and LA28.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board may elect not to approve the contract modification, which would leave Metro without sufficient contract authority to support ongoing media planning and advertising services, resulting in a significant reduction in advertising and communications efforts across the agency. Staff does not recommend this alternative since it would directly impact agency initiatives that rely on timely, coordinated communications to inform and engage the public. Reduced media planning capacity would also limit Metro's ability to respond to emerging operational priorities, diminishing the effectiveness of outreach efforts and potentially affecting ridership, customer awareness, and program success. Also, Metro does not have the staff internally to implement media buys. To ensure no disruption in communications outreach efforts, Metro must continue to use a media agency with advanced marketing expertise, local insights, and the ability to maximize impact across all platforms reaching various demographics.
The Board may elect to initiated a new procurement. Staff does not recommend this alternative, as increasing authority under the existing contract is the most efficient and cost-effective approach to maintaining continuity of services and supporting ongoing agency priorities throughout the remainder of the contract term.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, staff will execute Modification No. 2 to Contract No. PS123964000 with GP Generate, LLC to continue to provide advertising and communications services.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - Contract Modification/Change Order Log
Attachment C - DEOD Summary
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Tiffany Srisook, Senior Director, Marketing Strategy, (213) 922-5285
Zoe Zeigler, Executive Officer, Marketing, (213) 364-5485
Monica Bouldin, Deputy Chief, Customer Experience, (213) 922-4081
Carolina Coppolo, Deputy Chief Vendor/Contract Management Officer, (213) 213-4471
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, (213) 922-4060
