On the Right Track: How Amtrak Hiawatha Helped Define Transit Marketing, and AFFIRM’s Place in It
The Amtrak Hiawatha service, connecting Milwaukee and Chicago, represents more than just a successful passenger rail line. The Hiawatha illustrates how effective transit marketing can shape public perception, drive ridership, and redefine how communities view mobility. Its story, beginning in 1935 with the Milwaukee Road’s introduction of the Hiawatha luxury streamliner, is also a story about the evolution of marketing in public transportation.
When Amtrak assumed operation in 1971, Hiawatha carried forward a legacy of branding that was once revolutionary: sleek names, bold design, and passenger experiences positioned as modern and aspirational. But by the early 2000s, the service needed a contemporary identity that could speak to travelers in new ways.
That’s when AFFIRM Agency entered the picture. In 2004, Amtrak selected AFFIRM to refresh the Hiawatha brand, a project that not only revitalized the line but also launched AFFIRM’s transit marketing journey. What began as one campaign became a milestone in the history of transit communications—bridging classic branding with social and behavioral marketing strategies.
Marketing Innovation on the Rails
Historically, transit marketing focused on functional details: schedules, fares, and routes. The Hiawatha project helped prove that marketing could do much more. It could create emotional connections, strengthen loyalty, and present transit as a smart, stress-free, environmentally friendly alternative to driving.
AFFIRM modernized the brand with a new logo, tagline, creative assets, and a multi-market media plan. Crucially, the launch of AmtrakHiawatha.com drew more than 26,000 monthly visitors, showing how digital platforms could play a central role in ridership growth. The results spoke volumes:
- Ridership increased 71% between 2004 and 2014 (from 470,000 to more than 800,000 annually).
- Ticket revenue nearly doubled, rising 97% in the same period.
These gains demonstrated that when effective marketing pairs with reliable service, transit systems can thrive, an insight that has since influenced campaigns nationwide.
Over time, strategies expanded to include:
- Partnerships with sports teams and cultural institutions
- Promotions tied to leisure travel
- Targeted outreach to rider segments such as students, commuters, and families
- Data-driven digital advertising and social media engagement.
AFFIRM’s work with Amtrak placed the agency at the forefront of this evolution, shaping strategies that would then be applied to transit systems across the country.
Why Transit Marketing Matters
Marketing ensures that riders not only know about their options but also see the personal and community benefits:
- Safety: Ten times safer per mile than driving
- Affordability: Families can save over $13,000 annually by reducing car ownership
- Sustainability: Lower congestion and emissions, stronger communities
Campaigns like Hiawatha’s succeed because they align these benefits with the diverse motivations of travelers—whether it’s saving time, cutting costs, reducing stress, or supporting greener choices.
A Lasting Legacy
The Amtrak Hiawatha campaign is remembered not just for its impact on one rail line, but for how it helped establish best practices in modern transit marketing. For AFFIRM, this was the starting point of a decades-long journey in transit marketing, proving that over time, a well-crafted message can drive behavioral change that consistently grows ridership.
