MIDNIGHT IN MOTION
THE CHALLENGE
The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) introduces service changes triannually, but the May 2025 service changes were special — for the first time since before the pandemic, COTA would be offering late-night bus service until midnight. This exciting change was made possible by the passage of the LinkUS initiative, a comprehensive transportation and growth plan that was on the ballot in November 2024.
With May service changes fast approaching, we needed to educate the public, including both existing and potential customers, about the upcoming improvements to COTA services and ensure that riders understood how the new schedules would directly benefit them.
THE OBJECTIVE
Educate both existing and potential COTA customers, including seasoned riders, students and nightlife enthusiasts, about the May 2025 service changes and the benefits of expanded late-night service, driving awareness and ridership through a comprehensive, integrated marketing campaign.
THE APPROACH
To capture the dynamic energy of COTA after dark, Hunter’s creative team developed a bold visual concept inspired by the city's neon lights, anchored by the central tagline: “Midnight in Motion.” Our team hit the streets at night to capture stunning photography and videography, illuminating both buses in motion and models with glowing, high-contrast accents that evoked a cool, contemporary look. Talent was intentionally cast to reflect COTA's diverse ridership, with a focus on those who would benefit most from the extended midnight service, from workers finishing their shifts to friends going out for a fun night. The result was a visual story of how late-night transit connects real people to real possibilities.
With strategically placed ads across digital and out-of-home spaces — including organic and paid social media, web banners, programmatic ads, video, local print magazines and billboards — we had a reach of over 2.9 million across platforms, driving them to the service change landing page on COTA.com.
THE RESULTS
15M+
Impressions
2.9M+
Video Plays
482%+
Increase in Landing Page Traffic
April–June 2025 vs.
January–March 2025
29K+
New Users to Landing Page
April–June 2025
16.9%
Increase in Fixed-Route Ridership
May 2025 vs. May 2024
3X
More Late-Night Boardings
10 p.m.–midnight
May 2025 vs. May 2024
MODEL SELECTION AND PERSONA ALIGNMENT
Talent casting for Midnight in Motion was strategically aligned with COTA's research-developed rider personas — characters that embody the transit system's actual customer base. We intentionally featured models representing the riders who would benefit most from extended midnight service: second- and third-shift workers commuting to and from late-night jobs, student riders navigating beyond campus and the city after evening classes or for social outings and convenience riders who could now confidently choose COTA for entertainment and events knowing they had a reliable ride home.
By authentically reflecting the diverse faces of Columbus nightlife — from healthcare workers finishing shifts to friends heading downtown — the campaign demonstrated that COTA understands and serves the real people who move through the city after dark.
IT BEGAN WITH A STYLE
DRIVING THE MESSAGE THROUGH VIDEO
MARKETING MIDNIGHT: A CITYWIDE ROLLOUT
