Every time I get on the Wolfline to go to class, I crave a Bojangle’s chicken biscuit. It didn’t used to be that way, until recently when the NCSU Transportation Services began pasting ads on the interior and exterior of the Wolfline buses. Logos for companies such as Jimmy John’s, Fidelity Investments and Coca-Cola have all found their way onto the red and white bus fleet.
At first, I questioned the ads on the buses. I’ve always felt that the University was one of the few places left on this planet that was not saturated with advertisements and corporate sponsorships. Take our women’s basketball court for instance. In honor of the dedication, career and character of our coach, the Board of Trustees voted to name it Kay Yow Court. Not the Diet Dr. Pepper Arena.
So naturally, at first, I was perturbed that my University’s bus fleet sold out to corporate capitalism.
I decided to dig a little deeper on the issue and explore why the Transportation Department decided to make the Wolfline into rolling billboards. I was hoping it had something more to do with making revenue for the strapped for cash department, and not just a way to pay homage to North Carolina’s history with NASCAR.
Through electronic correspondence, I spoke with Christine Klein, the information and communication specialist for the NCSU Transportation Services. She was nice enough to reveal Transportation Service’s advertising agenda and helped explain why every time the Wolfline passes me by, I have a “gotta, wanna, needa, getta, hava Bojangles” moment.
Clearly the most prominent ads on the Wolfline are for the various athletic teams on campus. Most of the buses have a large splash, running on the side of the bus from wheel well to wheel well, of an N.C. State athlete and the name of their chosen sport. The Athletics Department pays the Wolfline guys a grand per bus per semester for displaying the ads for their sporting events, and athletics, in turn, gets some very prominent and accessible advertising.
As Klein explained, “Our arrangement with athletics is a win/win situation … NCSU-related advertising works extremely well in that we’re promoting NCSU Athletics and at the same time Transportation is making a little money.”
As for the ads from local businesses, transportation is cashing in on those spots too. Revenue generated goes toward marketing, promotions and other transit-related expenses (which do not include the actual operation of the buses, since Klein indicated that the ads are not a steady enough source of funds).
So what’s the bottom line for poor students like us? It means the cost of keeping the Wolfline rolling is a smaller financial burden when the Transportation Department looks to avenues other than our tuition to fund it. After last year’s court ruling in favor of the N.C. School Boards Association, Transportation Services owed the local school systems some $4 million; money they made off permits and tickets, and, unfortunately, had already spent.
Concluding that bake sales and extortion were out of the question, the usual methods for generating department revenue were employed: raise parking permit costs and student transportation fees.
However, even with an approved $10 hike for next year’s student fees, Transportation Services is still not in a position to do any heavy spending, especially not in expanding their fleet (an idea for which time has come). So it is refreshing to see the department find an easy and creative way to get paid that doesn’t cost students a dime. Not only that, but Transportation’s collaboration with the Athletics Department and local businesses shows that a little ingenuity, creativity and work toward mutual interests go a long way.
As for the future of the advertising campaigns, Klein says to look for more interior advertisements on the Wolfline as the program matures. But don’t expect fully wrapped buses, such as some of the completely decked out CAT buses that roll through campus, as the Wolfline wishes to continue repin’ our University through its characteristic color combo of red and white.
Kudos to Transportation Services for forging mutually beneficial partnerships and employing revenue generators that don’t mean more money out of my pocket. The only thing that could make this program even better is to add a Wolfline stop in front of Bo’s.
Send A.J. your Wolfline advertising campaign at [email protected].