How a PR Strategy Helped A Wisconsin Bus Company Fill the Bus Driver Gap

Wisconsin Central School Bus Company (WCSBC), a branch of North American School Bus Company, serves Milwaukee Public Schools and several charter schools in the Milwaukee area.
WCSBC-bus
What's Not Working

The Problem

Like many transportation providers across the country, Wisconsin Central School Bus Company (WCSBC) faced a significant challenge: a critical shortage of school bus drivers. This shortage threatened to disrupt school transportation, creating stress for students, parents, and administrators. 

The company needed a solution to increase awareness about its urgent hiring needs and attract potential applicants to an upcoming in-person hiring event at its facility. It sought a public relations strategy that would not only highlight the importance of school bus drivers but also position WCSBC as a trusted community partner.

STREAM CREATIVE SOLUTION

With only two weeks until the event, WCSBC partnered with Stream Creative to develop and execute a targeted public relations strategy. Given the national attention on school bus driver shortages, we saw an opportunity to align our messaging with this broader issue while emphasizing WCSBC’s unique benefits.

Our PR strategy included:

  • Message Development: We crafted a primary message focusing on the essential role school bus drivers play in ensuring safe and reliable transportation for students. Additionally, we highlighted key job benefits, including flexible, part-time hours, competitive pay, and the unique opportunity for drivers to bring their own young children on board while working.
  • Targeted Media Outreach: We identified and engaged media outlets in Milwaukee, focusing on reporters covering education and transportation. This included direct outreach to a journalist who had recently covered the nationwide bus driver shortage.
  • Press Release Distribution: One week before the hiring event, we distributed a press release to local media outlets, featuring compelling statistics, event details, and opportunities for interviews and video coverage.
  • Media Alerts & Follow-Ups: To maximize media attendance, we sent a media alert the morning before the event and personally followed up with news desks and individual reporters. These follow-ups emphasized the national bus driver shortage and the impact this event could have on Milwaukee’s school transportation system.
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Key Data Points

The strategic PR campaign led to significant media coverage and direct hiring success for WCSBC:

  • Earned Media Coverage: Multiple media outlets attended the hiring event, capturing images, interviews, and footage that were featured in news segments and articles.
  • Widespread Awareness: Several additional media mentions were secured, with outlets publishing stories using details from the press release.
  • Successful Hiring Event: More than 20 job candidates were interviewed on-site, improving WCSBC’s ability to address its driver shortage.

1.5 Million

Impressive Media Reach:

The total media reach and impressions exceeded 1.5 million, providing extensive exposure for WCSBC’s hiring efforts.

$200,000

Publicity Value: 

The campaign generated an estimated advertising value equivalency (AVE) of over $200,000.

Expand your reach with a strategic PR approach

Effective PR can make a significant impact on talent acquisition, brand reputation, and overall business goals. If you’re looking for a results-driven approach to media relations and awareness campaigns, let’s connect.

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