New Flyer of America's Vehicle Innovation Center as an Educational Hub for Electric Bus Technology and Adoption

Target Audience: Transit Agencies across America - Many electric-bus transit agencies and public/private entities are first-time buyers, seeking zero-emission transit buses for trial programs and purchase. They are seeking insight and education in new propulsion technology and need a source for educational programming. Regulators, Elected Officials & The Public - This audience is focused on transforming communities with zero-emission, clean technology solutions and wants to invest in building sustainable communities. They need a reliable manufacturer that can support smart cities with technology. Suppliers - They need a forum for zero-emission collaboration, research and development, and education. The New Flyer team - They need a source of innovative training and hands-on education.

Strategy Objective:Deliver informative, consistent zero-emissions content and programming in a comprehensive manner. ' Establish New Flyer as the zero-emission bus experts. ' Build credibility and be the trusted zero-emission bus manufacturer for customers. ' Redefine the New Flyer electric bus brand to be innovative, fresh, and exciting. ' Create excitement in transit agency and industry stakeholder communities to encourage electric bus adoption. ' Educate our target audiences on the latest zero-emission, connected, and autonomous vehicle technologies. ' Increase our public and media presence. ' Engage a wide variety of demographics and stakeholders by delivering content through digital, social, in-person (classroom), and interactive video mediums.

Situation Challenge: Situation: With greater commitment to zero-emission adoption across America, transit agencies and other industry stakeholders need information at their fingertips, programming that empowers informed decision making, and a place to learn in a hands-on environment. Challenge: We needed to become more competitive with our branding efforts, and to redefine our zero-emission battery-electric brand to be fresh and innovative. With our long history of electric propulsion, we needed to tell our story and host open conversations on smart, zero-emission transportation. We needed more visibility in a highly competitive environment. There was a need for in-depth knowledge across the industry with respect to electric bus procurements, infrastructure development and electric bus launch requirements.

Results Impact: Overall this comprehensive campaign has increased public awareness of New Flyer: ' Over 1,000 industry leaders have visited our VIC to learn from our experts, including transit properties, decision makers, media, investors and other organizations. ' Obtained 40 positive media articles from over 39 different publications. ' Realized 1,000,000 impressions and over 9,400 followers on Twitter since launching. ' On Facebook we have had over 222,000 impressions. ' Our YouTube videos (6) received a total of 10,000 views within the last year.

Why Submit: We focused our efforts on comprehensive and consistent branding, thought and content leadership, and zero-emission programming, content, and education while executing a campaign that strategically positioned New Flyer in the electric bus industry. We redefined our brand image, and ultimately engaged, educated, surprised, and delighted our target audiences. Through this, we have established New Flyer and the Vehicle Innovation Center as an industry destination for learning, education, collaboration, and research and development. Together, we are advancing our industry and communities for the better.