Social events deeply impact the lives of individuals and communities, both in the short-term and over extended periods. Raising awareness of such events is crucial for the targeted community to become conscious and take action. Urban public transport vehicles offer an effective platform for this purpose, with their potential to reach a wide audience.
The role of urban public transport vehicles in mass communication
Reaching a broad audience
Urban buses are an integral part of daily life, reaching a broad demographic audience. These vehicles effectively disseminate social messages by appealing to various groups such as students, workers, and tourists.
Constant visibility
Buses operate throughout the day, moving across different city areas. This constant movement and visibility ensure that advertisements are noticed over a wider area.
Economic and environmentally friendly
Advertising on public transport is more cost-effective compared to other media. Additionally, promoting public transport supports an environmentally friendly approach by reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions.
Air Equinox shuttle categories
For the Air Equinox brand, two different shuttle categories were designed. The first, Equinox Shuttle, provides fast and economical transportation to locations relatively close to the airline’s main base at Çukurova Airport, such as Adana, Tarsus, Mersin, and İskenderun. The second, Fast, aims to support and make long flights to holiday destinations like Taşucu, Aydıncık, and Gaziantep more attractive.
The Shuttle service is modeled with light class, easy-to-circulate, and fast-moving Mercedes-Benz Intouro vehicles. In contrast, the Fast service is provided by more comfortable and luxurious Setra TopClass series vehicles, specifically the S516 HDH and S531 DT models, according to the length of the journey and the purchased service's content.
Creative Strategies at public transportation advertisement
Visual design and color usage
As buses move within cities or on intercity roads, the colors used in visual designs are carefully selected to make them eye-catching. Vibrant colors, powerful visuals, and creative graphics focused on the target were used.
Clarity and conciseness of the message
For effective communication, social messages need to be clear and concise. Using impactful and straightforward expressions instead of complex and lengthy messages proved to be more effective.
Using local elements
Incorporating local elements in advertisements is essential for attracting the target audience's attention and enhancing the message's retention. The slogans "Save the Mediterranean" and "No more Mediterranean" were used on the two vehicles in the Shuttle group to raise awareness of current issues in the Mediterranean.
Advertising on urban buses is an effective and creative method for raising awareness of social events. The potential to reach a broad audience, constant visibility, and economic advantages are just a few reasons for choosing this method. With the right strategies and creative approaches, social awareness campaigns can be successfully conducted through public transport vehicles.
