For someone that doesn’t have a driving licence, this month has been an eye-opening journey into the world of driving as a profession.
But bus driving is much much more than just driving - it's about customer service, keeping your cool, managing money and connecting people from all different backgrounds. It takes a certain kind of person, a people person. And they were exactly the kind of people that our wonderful client First Group were after when they asked us at Chatter to help them out with Bus Driver recruitment in Bristol and Avon.
Whilst First were clear about the kind of people that they wanted to help them connect with communities in Bristol, reaching such a specific audience needed some assistance. The solution? A radio campaign that really bought into Bristol.
We called it ‘CHEERS DRIVE’ (A Bristolian phrase to thank Bus Drivers) and needless to say we ran with the concept! We enlisted the help of the fantastic guys at Global Radio to promote First Group roles across Heart FM in the South West during an intense week of ‘CHEERS DRIVING’, with regional accents galore for a 30-second campaign run across mid-September.
Hopefully, we’ve managed to avoid the pitfalls of local radio advertising and not annoy too many people along the way. A bigger First was the fact that we even managed to rope in their Breakfast presenters to challenge themselves in a spot of bus driving in the name of competition! And of course, to get some great people on board for First (video attached below). The presenters really bought into the CHEERS DRIVE campaign and everyone had a great time testing out their proficiency with a 30-foot vehicle at their mercy!
Managing the project was an eye-opener for me. The responsibility, the time management, the need to make phone calls - all very new experiences. Fortunately Global guided, and I willingly obliged, with the guys at First reassuringly keen to help out. It was great to work with both the guys at Heart and First Group on this campaign so all that’s left to say is: ‘CHEERS DRIVE!’ And I should really consider getting that licence.
