When thinking about State Farm, the first thing that may come to mind is a man named Jake in khakis. But for many in the Greater Kansas City area, it might be Chad Mitchell on the back of a KCATA paratransit bus.
“There are many times to when I’ll go into a local gas station or a local store, and I’ll get asked multiple times, ‘Hey, are you the guy on the back of the bus?’” says State Farm agency owner operator Chad Mitchell, “And that’s really helped as far as growing our brand and helping us stand out from others within the industry.”
Mitchell owns and operates a State Farm agency in Independence, Missouri, located in the Kansas City Metro area, providing insurance and financial services for the community. He has advertised with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority for over ten years, to promote brand recognition in a very saturated industry. Mitchell knows that to remain competitive and well known in the area, he must advertise. And he has quite the marketing mix – from Google ads to direct mail, but he’s continuously advertised with KCATA since 2011.
“I think advertising is not just one size fits all, I think it’s multiple, multiple lines in the water, to make sure that you’re building the brand to the best of your ability. And also, the more times people see our name, the more times people see my face, the better our brand is going to be. So that is that is what’s geared us towards utilizing the transit advertising.”
And with the help of Adsposure and KCATA’s paratransit buses, thousands are seeing his name and face each and every day.
Building a brand that cares about community
“I think I think what makes our agency different from our competition is how much we are involved in the community, how much we are invested in the community and how much we’re invested in the customers in the in the potential customers that we serve,” says Mitchell.
Mitchell and his team pride themselves on creating a positive experience for customers – prioritizing education on the importance of insurance and protecting the things that are most important in customers’ lives. “But most of all,” Mitchell says, “we also pride ourselves on the relationships and the experiences, we’re able to build and build upon through the communities that we live in.”
For Mitchell, the greater Kansas City and Independence communities have contributed to the growth and success of his business. So, when the opportunity arose over ten years ago to advertise with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority on their paratransit buses, he jumped on it.
“I think it’s a win-win anytime that you can invest in advertising to benefit your business. And while doing that you’re also benefiting the community; I don’t think you can lose on that.”
Reaching unique audiences throughout Kansas City with paratransit
Many advertisers choose to advertise on fixed route buses, but Mitchell opted to work with KCATA’s paratransit vehicles instead. For Mitchell and his team, the benefit for advertising on paratransit vehicles is that they reach deeper into the community than many fixed route buses, dropping off and picking up at local grocery stores, hospitals, and community centers. These vehicles are easy to spot in parking lots and on residential streets – where fixed route buses don’t go.
Additionally, Mitchell liked that the vehicles with his advertisements would be directly helping those in the community he serves and seen in the community of Independence.
“I wanted the paratransit because it felt more local to me. If felt more community involved to me,” shared Mitchell. Additionally, Mitchell says that working with the team at Adsposure and KCATA’s paratransit didn’t feel corporate, and resonated with him for what he was looking for when building his brand.
Their design, which features either Mitchell or members of his team with one of their slogans and contact information, is vibrant and easily seen from the street and the sidewalk. Additionally, there is a QR code on the full back ads, which can be scanned to quickly access their website for interested onlookers. Their signature colors and design are on the backs of paratransit vehicles all over the Kansas City metro area, and their ads tell the story of their agency.
“It [the ads] gives us the opportunity to highlight who we have in our office, it also gives us the opportunity to highlight what our brand is all about. There’s sayings on our ads, such as ‘here for you when you need us.’ So that kind of tells our story about relationships, tells our story about creating that different experience.”
Adsposure is here when you’re ready to advertise!
Just like the Chad Mitchell agency is there for their clients, the Adsposure team is here for you when you’re ready to boost your brand awareness and put your message on the streets. Let our expert team help you create your very own eye-level, moving billboard to elevate your marketing mix. Reach out to us today!