South Bay Expressway
South Bay Expressway is a local toll road that serves San Diego's South Bay area, South East San Diego. Since South Bay Expressway was this area's first toll road, the public had, understandably, mixed feelings about the road. Our goal was to educate the public with as much information as possible before the road opened. With many residents having never traveled a toll road before, and without the road actually being opened, we had to make them comfortable with not only traveling and paying on the road, but also with the location of the road, all the various ways they will want to use the road, and the benefits and attributes of traveling the toll road versus existing freeways.
To help solidify the road as a community staple, assist in gaining public acceptance, and to educate the public about the road, Studio Three Sixty set up a comprehensive 3-part grassroots campaign starting approximately one year before the road opened.
Fun Partners Program: To boost the community's acceptance of the new toll road, Studio Three Sixty created a Point of Purchase (POP) and literature campaign. The display and brochure were placed in over 150 local retailers. Displaying the POPs within trusted local businesses helped gain public acceptance and brand familiarity while take home literature educated the community about the new road.
For this program, Studio Three Sixty developed the initial planning and strategy, then initiated contact with all locations to take part in the campaign. Weekly, bi-monthly and monthly clean and stock visits were made to ensure the positive and professional appearance was maintained. Since Studio Three Sixty was able to arrange complete donation of all POP locations at no cost to our client, various appreciation programs were set up for the retail locations rewarding the owners, management and staff with “free swag”. Approximately 150 locations kept the POP display up for the entire 1+ years before the road opened.
Community Presentation: Studio Three Sixty developed a number of entertaining community presentations created specifically for the public (no boring PowerPoint presentation would do here). Our client's key staff, including their CEO, was able to go into the community to discuss and answer questions regarding the new toll road. Presentations were set up with strategic community organizations, associations, groups, clubs and town hall meetings. Attendance consistently ranged from 20 to 200 people depending on the venue. This was an excellent opportunity to speak one-on-one with the public, answer questions and concerns, control community “rumors” and put actual faces and personality behind the road.
Community Fun Ambassador promotions program and team: Studio Three Sixty designed an entire mobile setup that included a tent, table with cover, outdoor banners, informational boards, handouts and the occasional game to take to community events and locations. South Bay Expressway representatives who attended these events were called Fun Ambassadors (to keep with the “Put The FUN Back In Driving” brand). Studio Three Sixty set up, ran, coordinated and assisted the South Bay Expressway Marketing Department in scheduling locations for this program. The President and Vice-President of Studio Three Sixty would periodically man the display themselves to get closer to the community and their questions, concerns, likes and dislikes. This personal participation allowed us to develop more effective and relevant ways to reach the audience.
In addition, Studio Three Sixty designed and secured a cart (kiosk) at a central location within a large upscale lifestyle center and mall. This cart was created to be an information center that could be open 24/7 without requiring staff.
