KEEP SA MOVING

When the going gets tough, the tough keep moving.

The anticipated growth in San Antonio is expected to create unimaginable gridlock, and VIA Metropolitan Transit had been preparing for that inevitability, developing a plan that included Advanced Rapid Transit, Mobility on Demand and other services and infrastructure. However, VIA needed additional funding to make it all a reality.

We created a multi-media campaign with compelling messaging that still accommodated the restrictions on election-related communications. That campaign was ready to win the November 2020 public vote to approve funding.

But then the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything.

Almost overnight, our original plan – including creative assets and a paid media schedule – was shelved as the focus shifted to ensuring public health and transit continuity for those who depended on it.

Within 48 hours of the local stay-at-home orders, we helped VIA quickly pivot and developed Keep SA Moving , a battle cry and promise that VIA would be a stalwart community partner throughout every twist and turn of the pandemic. To inform the community of VIA’s immediate focus on ensuring it could keep its customers moving around the city to essential jobs and services, our team implemented a multi-pronged approach, using earned media, paid media and out-of-home assets to tell the VIA story in a relevant way and ahead of the funding election.

On November 3, 2020, 67.8% of San Antonio voters cast ballots in favor of increasing funding for VIA’s transit plan. Our campaign’s success will lead to a $36 million increase (in 2019 dollars) in annual revenue, beginning in 2026, and lasting in perpetuity.

NEXT PROJECT