School bus advertising helps solve school district budget concerns

School bus advertising helps solve school district budget concerns

Massive funding cuts, higher fuel costs and soaring food expenses have hit many school districts across the country. These cuts have left school officials scrambling for a new way to bring in revenue before having to cut jobs, afterschool programs and extracurricular activities. Mesa Unified School District in Arizona is just one of the districts facing such troubles.

School bus advertising being used to solve budget issues

School Bus AdvertisingIn an effort to offset their dwindling budget, the Mesa school district started allowing school bus advertising on their 497 school buses. These buses travel 32,000 miles a day, working their way through every neighborhood in the district. In the first year of advertising 25% of their buses carried ads bringing in $60,000 in additional revenue.  The school district expects ad revenue to double for the 2012-2013 school year.

Mesa isn’t the only school district to have great success with school bus advertising. Schools in Colorado have also used advertising revenue to help retain jobs and student services. Cherry Creek Public Schools brought in an additional $54,000 their first year with school bus advertising. Jefferson County Schools, the largest district in Colorado, earns $125,000 a year with only one district wide advertiser.

Not only is school bus advertising beneficial to the school budget, it’s also a great way for businesses to build brand awareness.

Top 5 reasons to include school bus advertising in your next campaign

  1. Top of mind awareness. Each ad will be seen thousands of times each month.
  2. Consistency. School buses travel the same routes at peak times every day.
  3. Aid School Funding. Majority of ad revenue goes directly to local schools. Your message is getting out to potential customers and you are helping fund a child’s education.
  4. Targeted Audience. Businesses can advertise all over a district, or just in neighborhoods surrounding their stores or the locations of their products and services.
  5. Cost Effective. Mobile advertising reaches more consumers at a lower CPM than many other ad mediums.

School bus advertising is currently available in select districts in Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, with more states looking into it every day.

To learn more visit our school bus advertising page, fill out a request for proposal or contact us.