THE OPPORTUNITY
The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) introduces service changes tri-annually, 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 changes to COTA services and ensure that riders understood how the new schedules would directly benefit them.
THE SOLUTION
Hunter Marketing developed a bold creative concept that matched the energy of the exciting news, with high-contrast lighting, neon design elements and a central tagline: “Midnight in Motion.” Our team hit the streets at night to capture stunning photography and videography of the buses in motion as well as models who reflect the primary customer base. Then, we developed messaging that encouraged ridership for all, from workers finishing their shifts to friends going out for a fun night.
With strategically placed ads across digital and out-of-home spaces — including both organic and paid social media, web banners, programmatic ads, video, local print magazines and billboards — we reached over 200K Central Ohio residents and drove them to the service change landing page on COTA.com.
THE RESULTS
In just one month, the campaign generated:
408,721
impressions
386,208
video plays
187,936
engagements
+227%
landing page
traffic increase
IT BEGAN WITH A STYLE
To capture the dynamic energy of COTA after dark, Hunter’s creative team developed a vibrant visual concept inspired by the city’s neon lights. This approach illuminated both models and vehicles with glowing accents, evoking a clean, 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. The result was a visual story of how late-night transit connects real people to real possibilities.
DRIVING THE MESSAGE THROUGH VIDEO
MARKETING MIDNIGHT: A CITYWIDE ROLLOUT
