The verdict is in.
CATA says those distinctive and very hard-to-miss bumper-to-bumper bus advertisements are not going anywhere, except back on the road.
The “wrap-around” ads were added to CATA buses in January 2014 for a year-long test run. Eventually, four buses were decked out in the wall-to-wall ads which cover just about the whole vehicle, including the most of the windows.
At a special meeting last week, CATA’s board voted to make the full bus wrap ads permanent. And that could mean a lot more buses will become rolling billboards.
The approval came after CATA asked municipalities that help fund the transit agency’s operations to share opinions about the ad program. “Overall, the input we received was very positive,” says CATA spokesperson Jackie Sheader. “There were a couple of concerns, mainly about aesthetics and maintaining the CATA brand on our buses.”
That doesn’t mean everyone is a fan.
State College Borough Council members recently expressed some negative views. “I absolutely hate these, particularly because they cover the windows,” council member Theresa Lafer said. “They don’t look like a CATA bus. They kind of look like a 1960s rock band bus that got stuck in a time warp.”
However, a few days later, at a meeting of Harris Township supervisors, the wrap ads got a glowing review. “I don’t understand how there are any negative feelings about this if it’s helping keep bus rates down,” said Harris Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Nigel Wilson. “This is something that’s beneficial to all riders.”
CATA turned to wrap ads because it was in a financial bind. “We were at the point where we had to make more money to keep the buses that we had running,” says Sheader, adding that the wrap ads contributed about $35,000 to CATA’s bottom line over the past year.
Last July, the cost of a CATA bus ride increase by 25 cents, going from $1.50 to $1.75. Without the additional revenue produced by the wrap ads it’s possible that CATA might be forced to cut back on the number of bus runs on some routes according to Sheader. “In the future, this money could actually mean the difference between taking a trip away or being able to keep it,” she says.
Sheader also says CATA is very sensitive to concerns that the ads could be considered unattractive by some.
StateCollege.com spoke to several CATA riders and most told us they have no problem with the bold ads. At least some are smitten. “I really like the buses with the scenery on them, with the grass and the trees and the blue skies,” says Brianna Miklas, a Penn State student and CATA rider. “I think it looks really cool.
“It’s better than a regular CATA bus,” she adds.
“I do like them, but either way, I don’t pay attention,” says Nicole Syder, another CATA rider.
“Right now we have 71 buses in our fleet and four of those are wrapped, says Sheader. “As of July 1st that will be bumped up to as many as 12. But there will never be a time when the majority of our buses are wrapped. The number of buses sporting those wrapped ads will vary depending on demand.”
CATA has a contract with On Campus Advertising which provides the wrap ads. That contract is ending, so managers are evaluating proposals from other vendors to see if revenues can be increased. As it stands now, “The potential is about $120,000, says Sheader. “But that is if every [ad] is sold.”
Right now, four companies are sponsoring wrap ads — PSECU, The Park at State College, Cracker Barrel and the National Guard — and it requires a serious financial commitment.
According to Sheader, advertisers pay about $30,000 a year for each wrap ad which includes $5,000 to $6,000 to print and install one. “So, the fact that they want to come back for next year and spend that kind of money is a good thing,” she says.
One company that will lbe coming back is PSECU. The non-profit credit union has sponsored a bus wrap ad for several months, featuring that outdoor look with green mountains and blue skies. PSECU’s Media Advertising Manager Jim Baker says his company is very pleased with the results. “We’ve had some really good feedback from the State College market. It seemed to be a pretty big hit last fall when we had it running around during football games.”
According to Baker, PSECU plans to continue using CATA buses to “drive” home its marketing message. “Outdoor advertising is limited in the State College market,” he says. “We view this as a mobile billboard and we get a lot of impressions. It’s nice because it not only hits downtown State College but the outskirts of town as well.”
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