Transit advertising in Des Moines with DART and Adsposure

The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority

DART is the largest public transportation system in the state of Iowa. Before the pandemic it carried more than 15,000 trips every day, and much of that ridership was already returning when this story was first published. It does this with a fleet of more than 100 buses on dozens of routes, and it also handles transportation for the Iowa State Fair, which draws more than a million visitors over its 10 days.

Erin Hockman, DART’s Chief External Affairs Officer, explains why that work matters: 

“Being able to move around your community and get to the places you need to go is so critical. As you think about all the things that we all need to live our healthy, active lifestyles, you can’t do that if you can’t access services like the grocery store, or you can’t see your doctor.”

Most public transportation funding comes from property taxes, and a pie can only be cut into so many slices. Advertising gives DART a way to add revenue without asking taxpayers for more. Hockman puts it this way:

“Anything we can do to diversify our revenue, to lower the reliance on property taxes in order to continue providing our services is a huge benefit, not just to the people who use our services, but to the region overall.”

Erin Hockman, Chief External Affairs Officer, DART

Why an authority works with a specialist

Running an advertising program in house means managing advertiser relations along with the design, production and installation of every ad. Adsposure dedicates its efforts solely to transit authority partners, so DART can focus on moving people while Adsposure sells and administers the advertising.

“We chose to work with Adsposure several years ago because it allows us to focus on what we do best, which is delivering transportation solutions to get people where they need to go and allows Adsposure to do what they do best, which is selling advertising and administering that whole process.”

Erin Hockman, Chief External Affairs Officer, DART

Helping DART and the people of Des Moines

The partnership with DART has led to one of Adsposure’s most vibrant markets. In 2021, it seemed like every bus was fully wrapped. A full bus wrap covers the entire vehicle, including the windows, so a brand takes over the whole bus.

“When we have those big full wraps on the buses, we often hear about them, because you can’t miss them.”

Erin Hockman, Chief External Affairs Officer, DART

Hockman adds that transit ads reach a lot of different people, that they are eye-catching, and that what is unique about transit advertising is that you catch people when they are not being bombarded by a lot of other messages.

A program that businesses and nonprofits can use

The advertising program is open to businesses and nonprofits all around Des Moines. When those organizations advertise with Adsposure on DART, they build their own visibility and a share of each advertising dollar goes back to improve the transit system. For local organizations, that makes transit advertising both a marketing decision and a way to invest in the community they serve.

DART and Adsposure began their partnership in 2016, the same year the Adsposure brand launched. Adsposure has grown authority by authority since its first transit contract in Cincinnati in 2006, and Des Moines has been part of that story for a decade. Today the Des Moines program works with local advertisers, from small organizations to large-format full wraps.

Thinking about what transit advertising could do for your authority? Talk to Adsposure, The Transit Advertising People, about your advertising program.