STA Connect Commercials

Target Audience: [Please see attached PDF] The target audiences for these commercials were Reduced Fare riders, youth 18 and under, and anyone who might want to use their mobile phone to pay the bus fare.

Strategy Objective:The Connect campaign was the largest and farthest- reaching campaign STA had ever done. The upgrades to our fare system necessitated over fifty separate public- facing promotional and educational deliverables. Our marketing and communications team lost a member to retirement a couple months before launch, leaving us with just three people to carry out a highly ambitious communications plan. Some things were pushed to the last minute... We also sort of forgot about the TV commercials until about a week before they were set to begin airing on every local broadcaster. We had no cast, no script, no production company, and no plan. We looked at the remaining budget and found $230. Once initial panic subsided, we [Please see attached PDF]

Situation Challenge: In October 2022, STA launched the Connect fare system, our first major fare system update in over a decade. The new system brought new Reduced Fare categories and a Zero-Fare category, and our region's first homegrown transit app among many other changes. For Reduced Fare customers who depend on STA for their transit needs, any change to the program that caused confusion could be stressful for low or fixed-income families. We also knew we needed to reach kids — and their parents — so they were aware that starting in October, youth under 18 would be able to ride the bus without fare if they signed up for a free Connect card. Nothing like this had ever been done in our region and [Please see attached PDF]

Results Impact: Combined impressions on broadcast TV were 2.5 million. Google and Youtube ads comprised over 2 million impressions and nearly 2,000 link clicks. Compared to similar markets, the adoption rate for Connect cards was more rapid – we achieved over 50% adoption rate in the first two months. This exceeded expectations internally and from consultants. The commercials were a major part of getting the word out about the new features — they also appeared on our website, on digital monitors at STA Plaza and at bus stops, and over social media. They were popular enough that we felt bad not every kid who was an extra appeared in the final cut, so we edited a fifth commercial to give them their screen time.

Why Submit: This project represents what our small team does best – work against the odds to produce quality content under tight deadlines and with little or no money. We made four TV commercials on $147 in less than 24 hours. Everything was done in-house and no external vendors or production companies were used. They were seen millions of times and played a key role in generating awareness of the changes to our fare system.