Client Success: Helping a Transportation Department Raise Local Awareness of Planned Traffic Disruptions

Public services organizations have a duty to keep local citizens informed of upcoming events and changes that could disrupt the daily routines of those individuals. Just as utility companies need to notify homeowners and residents of planned outages in advance of related work, transportation and traffic organizations must coordinate road work and related infrastructure projects to make sure the public is prepared for disruptions to local roads.

In an effort to improve its communication of planned traffic events to local drivers, one state transportation agency reached out to Cox Media for help creating digital advertising to support its existing awareness campaigns. The organization was hopeful that a successful campaign would serve as a blueprint to improve communication around traffic events in the future.

The Goal

The transportation agency wanted to create a targeted digital ad campaign that would alert commuters and other drivers of various traffic events expected to create disruptions or delays. Common examples of these disruptions included lane closures, road construction, changes in common traffic patterns, and changes to roadway speed limits, among others.

The organization wanted a digital ad campaign to improve local awareness of these disruptions, giving drivers advance notice to plan alternative routes and/or expect delays when driving on affected stretches of roadway.

With improved local awareness of these changes, the organization hoped to see shorter traffic queues thanks to informed drivers making adjustments to their regular driving habits.

The Solution

Cox Media’s experts were tasked with increasing awareness among drivers and passengers who frequently travel affected roadways—and doing so through a cost-effective approach. To achieve the client’s goals, Cox Media targeted its digital ad delivery to specific geographic locations along the roadways and corridors where traffic disruption was planned.

We also targeted ad delivery to specific households and ZIP codes likely to be affected by planned roadway disruptions and detours, giving residents important information that would impact their travel to work, school, and other activities. A digital retargeting strategy was also

deployed to deliver ads to devices that had previously traveled through those targeted traffic corridors, even when the devices weren’t actively in those locations at the time of ad delivery.

By creating multiple digital touches with relevant commuters, we were able to generate high-impact impressions that would help device owners retain information and adjust their behaviors and planning in response.

The Results

Upon completion of the awareness campaign, the state transportation agency reported the following results:

• More than 3.9 million impressions delivered;
• More than 5,600 ad clicks, for a click-thru rate of 0.14 percent;
• A significant reduction in traffic queues created by the traffic events.

By leveraging digital advertising to distribute information to local residents, the transportation agency was able to achieve far better communication results in the past, supporting local drivers and laying a foundation for repeat success with future traffic events.

Looking for fast, efficient ways to communicate with a local audience? Our targeting capabilities and broad digital advertising options make it easy to build a tailored campaign that achieves your organization’s goals while maximizing ROI. Contact us today to see how we can help.