"Bluffton State of Mind" Bus Wrap

Target Audience: The primary targets for this first-ever Bluffton Breeze bus wrap were residents who have not yet tried the new Bluffton Breeze weekday fixed-route service. The secondary target market was the vibrant arts community in and around Bluffton and the rapidly growing Lowcountry region of South Carolina. We have been featuring the wrapped bus in all our community events since the unveiling, including the annual Bluffton Christmas Parade which is attended by approximately 5,000 residents, as well as the annual Hilton Head Island Lantern Parade (attended by about 4,000 area residents).

Strategy Objective:The objective of the bus wrap project, in partnership with the Town of Bluffton, was to earn the attention of new transit passengers and enhance public art in the Bluffton community and the Lowcountry as a region. As the first public art project by the Town's new Public Art Committee, it was critical for the Town to identify a project that would earn local media attention, social media reach, and start a conversation about public art and public transportation. The Committee solicited proposals from Bluffton area artists for a wrap design that would capture the spirit of life in Bluffton and serve as a rolling billboard for the Town. Five finalists were selected for presentation and the final design, "Rolling Through Town with a Bluffton State of Mind," was the perfect project.

Situation Challenge: The Bluffton Breeze is a new weekday fixed-route service in the rapidly growing Town of Bluffton, South Carolina. The concept of public transportation in Bluffton is quite new to many, so the Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority is implementing creative marketing approaches to get the word out about the service. At the same time, the Town of Bluffton (local funding provider for the service) had recently established a Public Art Committee to develop projects to bring art to their residents. This bus wrap project was the first project selected by the committee, in large part because of the need to promote the new transit service, to reduce congestion. increase public safety, and reduce the environmental impacts of single occupancy vehicles.

Results Impact: This specially wrapped bus has garnered the attention of thousands since its unveiling. WJCL-TV featured the project on its weekly "Lowcountry Living" segment and "Bluffton Today" included an online blog post with images from the wrap unveiling at Bluffton Town Hall. The in-house produced commemorative "post cards" have been popular giveaways including at the annual Bluffton Christmas Parade. Inquiries via social media, the BreezeBluffton.com website, and into our dispatch center have increased significantly since the unveiling, and we are experiencing an increase in ridership on the fixed-route service. Because of the partnership with the Town, we achieved these results at no cost to the authority, other than supplies to print the post cards and the staff time to promote the project.

Why Submit: The Bluffton State of Mind bus wrap was submitted because it exemplifies successful marketing for a relatively new transit service on a shoestring budget. With no dedicated local funding, the LRTA marketing budget is very light; so partnerships, earned media, social media, and grassroots support are essential for us to "Tell Our Story." It is also important to note that this project was selected as the first ever public art project in the growing Town of Bluffton because of the Town's belief that public transit must be promoted as part of the congestion relief solution. Lastly, it is our team's belief that public transit and public art go hand-in-hand. With projects such as this bus wrap, not only can transit bring people to the art, public transit can also bring the art to the people.