UI Health is an academic medical center headquartered in the Illinois Medical District of Chicago. Which means, UI health is in a saturated market surrounded by several other academic medical centers (AMCs) and health systems. So, it is extremely important for them to be recognizable in the Chicago area, and for their brand to be able to be identified by patients and community members. That’s one reason why UI Health chose to advertise with Adsposure and Pace Suburban Bus – launching their bus advertisements to put their brand on the streets of the Chicago suburbs where thousands would see their logo and tagline each day.
Breaking out of Downtown – Driving Brand Recognition in the Suburbs
UI Health decided to advertise with Adsposure to specifically target the Chicago suburbs. UI Health has federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in neighborhoods all around the Chicago area, not just downtown. With 30 outpatient clinics – UI Health wanted to prioritize communicating that their services and care can be found within the community, and that they are bringing their top-notch care to the patients that need it the most in their neighborhood.
And their campaign has done exactly that! Rachel Paus, Senior Director of Marketing and Strategic Communications at UI Health shared, “We have seen an increase in brand awareness in the suburbs through the market research companies that we contract with. And particularly when we started this campaign last fall, we now have results from last spring. And we have gone up two percentage points in awareness, which sounds not significant, but it is especially in such a large market.”
Because of their buses and shelters that can be found throughout Chicagoland, UI Health continues to build brand awareness in the communities they serve.
Creating UI Health’s Bus Advertisement Campaign
For UI Health, advertising needed to extend beyond downtown Chicago to reach their target population.
“We chose to advertise on Pace buses because we realized, especially post-pandemic, that as things started to rise back, we really needed to extend our public transit footprint outside of just the CTA lines and trains,” shared Paus. Paus and her team knew that many of UI Health’s patients and employees live and work in the Chicago suburbs, so when they realized that’s where Pace buses run, “it was the perfect connection.”
UI Health’s campaign goals were simple: to get their name out in the suburbs. They chose simple and clean branding that is easily identifiable and stands out on the road. Their brand colors stand out against the buses, and their tagline “A Healthier Future Starts Here” is clear to whoever sees the advertisement.
Their campaign has utilized many of Pace’s available advertising formats, including bus shelters, interior bus advertisements, and king and super kong format advertisements.
Supporting the Community they Serve through Bus Advertisements
As the options for advertising continue to grow, choosing how to promote your brand becomes more than just a marketing decision. You need to find a way to share your business with the community in a manner that reflects your organization’s values, and that’s where transit advertising steps in! Transit advertising – including bus, shelter, and bench advertising – allows you to give back to the community through revenue sharing programs, investing in the city and people where your business is. And that’s one of the reasons that UI Health chose to advertise with Pace.
“To know that those advertising dollars go back to improve that transportation system, whether it’s more routes or better buses, a cleaner environment on the bus – that is something that means a lot to our patients. So that’s really awesome to know that [our advertising dollars] gives back to our community, something that we’re so proud to take care of,” shared Paus.
The revenue that bus, shelter, and bench ads bring in is important for Pace to continue to serve suburban Chicago. Doug Sullivan, Manager of External Relations at Pace Suburban Bus in Chicago, shares, “The advertising that’s on the interior and exterior of our buses is an absolutely critical part of our financial picture. Transit advertising is the largest share, outside of farebox revenue, of revenue that Pace generates on a daily basis.”
Reach the Chicago Suburbs with Adsposure and Pace!
If you’re looking to reach the Chicago suburbs with your message, advertise with Adsposure and Pace! With a number of advertising formats, you can craft your campaign to reach your target audience, while investing in local public transportation. To learn more about transit advertising in Chicago, visit https://www.adsposure.com/markets/chicago/.