Pace Pulse Dempster Bus Background Image
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Pace Pulse
LAUNCHING PACE PULSE, A PREMIUM EXPRESS BUS SERVICE
Industry
Transit
What We Did
Creative
Media
Experiential
We Drove Anticipation by Framing the Launch as Summer’s Biggest Blockbuster.
Positioning a new premium express bus service as a must-see transit premiere for suburban Chicago riders.

SITUATION

Pace was ready to launch a premium express bus service called Pace Pulse. The route featured faster service with limited stops, Wi-Fi, heated bus shelters with a pavement snowmelt system, better ADA accessibility, and real-time bus arrival information. The buses even communicated with traffic lights to minimize reds and extend greens. But as a brand new offering, nobody knew any of that.

SOLUTION

We drove anticipation and awareness with a movie trailer theme and framed up their soft launch as a “Sneak Preview.”

Bus stop poster advertising Pace Pulse bus service 'Sneak Preview Every Sunday' with a purple bus and green traffic lights, promoting longer green lights and fewer reds on Dempster Street.

Our team also ensured the success of a VIP launch event by planning, producing, and promoting every detail with help from our PR, Creative, and Account Management teams.

LAUNCH EVENT

This launch was a big deal for the suburban transit system so we rolled out the purple carpet. Press coverage, movie props, buckets of buttery popcorn, and paparazzi-style photos made local dignitaries truly feel like VIPs.

Group of people in formal and casual attire holding a purple ribbon in front of a purple Pace public transit bus during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Three people dressed in winter clothing smiling and conversing outdoors at an event with a tent in the background.
Man in suit and glasses speaking at a podium labeled PULSE with four people standing behind him outdoors.
Three smiling adults standing in front of a purple backdrop with the word 'PULSE' and 'pace' logos repeated.

OUTCOME

Numbers were strong out of the gate and when Pace shifted to daily service ridership really surged.

RESULTS
THAT WIN

DAILY RIDERSHIP

1,050

Average daily ridership

TOTAL RIDERSHIP

142,791

Total ridership through launch phase

GOAL PERFORMANCE

100%

Ridership goal during each month of the four month campaign

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