Make This City Move Campaign

Target Audience: Our primary audience comprised job seekers across Central Ohio. Additionally, we targeted current COTA customers to showcase COTA's proactive steps toward addressing the workforce shortage.

Strategy Objective:Our strategy centered on featuring authentic employee stories, emphasizing the community impact of their work and showcasing benefits like 12 weeks of paid family leave, competitive pay and paid training. We also leveraged positive news about the new bargaining agreement with the Transport Workers of America (TWU) union, emphasizing industry-leading wages and work-life balance. To streamline the application process, we created a dedicated landing page with a registration form for pre- and post-event communications. We promoted on-site interviews (but not on-site hiring) to encourage quality over quantity in applications. The strategy was supported by a strategic media mix of paid digital ads, social media, radio, PPC and display to maximize attendance and drive applications.

Situation Challenge: COTA, like many transit authorities, faced challenges due to the national workforce shortage triggered by the pandemic. To restore full service, hundreds of new Operators were needed. This campaign was designed to attract job seekers to our largest-ever hiring event.

Results Impact: Through efficient targeting and multiple in-market tactics, including a data-driven media buy, the campaign generated over 1.5 million impressions converting to 274 event attendees, 251 of which were qualified applicants. The hiring event resulted in 139 contingent job offers and added more qualified candidates to our pipeline. These efforts directly impacted service levels, enabling COTA to improve service hours and better serve the community.

Why Submit: This campaign expedited hiring during a critical time for COTA, resulting in a tangible improvement in service and bolstering COTA's reputation as an employer of choice. By combining strategic marketing with operational impact, the campaign demonstrated COTA's ability to meet workforce challenges head-on and secure public trust — a key factor ahead of the LinkUS ballot initiative.