by Global-5 Posted on Feb 18, 2023
Global-5’s multichannel marketing efforts played a big role in the successful launch of I-4 Express, Central Florida’s new commute alternative, in February 2022. In its first month of operations, the managed lanes running down the middle of Interstate 4 (I-4) garnered more than a half million trips, beating our client’s forecast by almost 20 percent. A year later, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has recorded more than 11 million trips on I-4 Express.
Introducing a new transportation option to a large regional audience requires communicating across a variety of channels spanning all four major types of media: paid media (advertising), owned media (websites and newsletters), shared media (social media and partnership marketing), and earned media (news coverage). Global-5 leveraged all four media types in our campaign to educate Central Florida drivers about I-4 Express and motivate them to try the express lanes.
The marketing effort began nearly a year before the lanes opened, when Global-5 conducted an areawide telephone public opinion survey. We also launched i4express.com as a one-stop source of information prior to the campaign. The campaign itself began three weeks before the opening date and continued for nine weeks after that. During the campaign, we conducted a news media tour of the express lanes, generating extensive news coverage, and placed 31 floor and tabletop brochure racks at major employment centers and other public spaces. Our paid media campaign included billboards, radio spots, and two full-page newspaper ads.
Global-5’s multichannel marketing effort delivered the I-4 Express message more than 130 million times. Thousands of area residents who received the message through our paid, earned, and shared media put that message into action by accessing our owned media, including the I-4 Express website, for more information. Many of these well-informed commuters went on to become satisfied users of the express lanes.
To find out more about how Global-5’s strategic marketing can help you reach your goals, please contact John Hamill at johnhamill@global-5.com or 407-571-6771.