PRESS RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Judy Bellah, Public Relations
Tel: 707.544.7990
Fax: 707.544.1886
E-mail: judy@clearfocus.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Connecting with Dots: Press Democrat Bus Wrap Promotes Community Ties through Website
SANTA ROSA, CA February 6, 2001 In a promotional campaign designed to increase brand awareness and drive traffic to the newspaper's website, The Press Democrat incorporated a bus wrap as part of a multimedia promotional campaign that kicked off on September 1, 2000. Although a number of bus and building wraps in nearby San Francisco and Silicon Valley have caught the eye of the public and the media, this is the first bus wrap to be produced for scenic Sonoma County. The promotional campaign also includes the same artwork on billboards, on-screen in movie theaters, in print ads, and even the creation of bookmarks and magnets.
Featuring people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds against a backdrop of green, rolling hills, the colorful graphics highlight the rich diversity and natural beauty of the region. On both sides of the bus is the newspaper's website address, "pressdemocrat.com", and the phrase "Sonoma County in one dot." Says Press Democrat Marketing Manager Sienna Hornback, "We wanted an image that would convey people, community and connection. The point of our website is that we are bringing the community together to get news and information about Sonoma County to the people. So we have the Sonoma County landscape in the background, to convey that it's a local site, and the wide variety of people who could be attracted to the site and connect with each other." Since the campaign was launched last September, traffic to the site has increased an average of 15%. The bus is on a rotation through all major routes in Sonoma County for the broadest exposure.
The contract for the 40-foot Sonoma Country Transit bus runs through June 1, 2001, although it has the potential to stay under wrap for a full year. "The bus drivers fought over who got to drive the bus when it first came out," adds Hornback. SuperGraphics of Sunnyvale, Calif. produced the graphics on a Scotchprint 2000 system, with the window portions printed on CLEAR FOCUS ClassicVue perforated, pressure-sensitive vinyl film, which allows a clear, unobstructed view out. To protect the graphics, 3M's 8914 overlaminate was applied.
The largest newspaper between San Francisco and the Oregon border, The Press Democrat has a readership of about one-quarter million people. In addition to satisfying the news and information needs of area residents via the printed newspaper and website, the company remains committed to serving the surrounding community through a variety of programs and contributions to local charities and educational institutions.
The Press Democrat is part of The New York Times Company (NYSE:NYT), a diversified media company including newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, and electronic information and publishing. The company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment. In 2000 the company was ranked No. 1 in the publishing industry in Fortune's survey of the Global Most Admired Companies and was ranked first among all companies in the survey for the quality of its products and services.
For more information, contact Sienna Hornback at The Press Democrat by e-mail at shornback@pressdemocrat.com. For information on CLEAR FOCUS window-graphics products, contact CLEAR FOCUS Imaging by phone at (707) 544-7990, by e-mail at headoffice@clearfocus.com or visit the company's website at www.clearfocus.com.
