The first prize in the 2023 Brand the Bus! Competition by Oxford Bus Company has just gotten even bigger, thanks to a new partnership with JACKfm.
Oxford Bus Company has announced in addition to receiving £30,000 worth of bus advertising, including having a double-decker wrapped in its branding, the winner will now also receive £20,000 of radio advertising with JACKfm.
In celebration of the partnership, JACKfm’s breakfast presenter Iain Lee’s face has been added to the rear of a bus – with the message it can be replaced by a more worthy cause.
Oxfordshire’s leading independent radio station JACKfm, backed the popular annual charity giving back competition to help deliver a bumper advertising package for the winning charity or good cause.
To launch the unprecedented charity prize JACKfm broadcast its breakfast show, ‘Iain Lee’s Rude Awakening’ live from onboard the newly branded bus at Thornhill Park&Ride today.
And listeners were treated to a special performance from this year’s winner of The Voice UK, Anthonia Edwards, who was revealed last Saturday on ITV and joined the team on the bus.
It is the fifth year Oxford Bus Company has run the competition as part of its community values, and its ground-breaking partnership with JACkfm means it will deliver even more value.
To help as many good causes enter as possible to be in with a chance of scooping the winning package worth £50,000, the deadline to enter has been extended further. The extended entry deadline is 01 December, and voting will run until New Year’s Day. The winner will be announced before the end of January 2023.
The winning charity will receive advertising support, including having a double-decker bus branded, digital screen advertising on board the vehicles, 12 months of airtime on JACKfm, JACK 2 and JACK 3 and website advertising.
Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Interim Managing Director, said: “This exciting partnership between two community-spirited companies takes the Brand the Bus! Competition to an unprecedented level.
“It means we can now offer a deserving good cause an even bigger advertising package that will deliver widespread brand awareness in Oxfordshire. We’re excited by the scale and scope of Brand the Bus! And look forward to partnering with JACKfm to help our community.”
Steve Simms, JACKfm’s Programme Controller, said: “When we heard about this amazing charity initiative, we simply had to get involved and add to the exposure that the winning charity will get.
“We also saw a great opportunity to wind our breakfast presenter Iain Lee up in the process. We encourage all local charities to get involved and everyone else to vote for your favourite charity, as it’s not only for a good cause, but it gets Iain’s face off the bus and keeps his ego in control.”
Girl Guiding Oxfordshire won the inaugural 2019 Brand the Bus! Competition. Home-Start Oxford scooped first place in 2020, and Blue Skye Thinking won the 2021 contest.
Abingdon Riding for the Disabled Association was also awarded the space on a bus rear as runners-up in the 2021 competition. Mental health charity Restore won first prize this year, and Be Free Young Carers came second.
Prizes will be awarded to the competitors who have, in the panel’s opinion, fulfilled the brief to the highest standard. The winning organisation will be invited to work with the Oxford Bus Company and JACKfm to design the bus and radio adverts.
The first and second runner-ups will receive support via digital onboard bus advertising worth £2,000 and £1,000, respectively.
This year, all entrants need to do to enter is outline what the advertising would mean to their organisation by completing a simple entry form online. It replaces good causes having to produce videos or create PDF presentations to enter. And so far, 39 entries have been received.
The 10 entries that are deemed best, according to a public vote, will be shortlisted and examined by a judging panel.
For more details and to enter, please visit the Brand the Bus! Competition pages on the Oxford Bus Company’s website.
