Drive-by advertising

When you walk into Jeff Brune's modest, West Main Street office in Jackson, you'll notice a large dry-erase board to the right of his desk.

On the board is a long to-do list; a contact register, if you will, of important dignitaries and government organizations that he has talked or will talk to.

FTA, check. Newsletter, check. Jo Ann Emerson, check. Kit Bond, check.

Money to secure, money to raise, big plans to execute. A county transit authority to manage.

Brune, amid his other responsibilities as executive director of the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority, has added another task to his long list.

Sell sponsorships. Check.

The transit authority has secured an advertising agreement with the Bank of Missouri, a deal which makes "sponsorship" space available on the side and rear windows of the 11 transit vans, vans that scurry all over the county, picking up anyone and dropping off anyone who needs a ride except point-to-point trips inside the city of Cape Girardeau. The deal makes the transit authority the first government entity in the county to sell advertising space on vehicles. The Bank of Missouri is the only sponsor so far.

It's a new way for the authority to raise funds necessary to secure more money from the federal government. For every dollar the federal government provides for the transit's operating expenses, Brune and the transit authority must provide a matching dollar. For every $100 the federal government gives to the authority for equipment and vehicles, Brune must secure 20 from local sources.

"This really benefits both parties," Brune said. "Thousands of people will see the sponsorships on the vans on a daily basis. It's a good thing to put their name to and we have another way for us to get a local match."

John Thompson, community bank president for the Bank of Missouri, said the deal made sense.

"We're looking for a way to reach Joe Sixpack. How do we get our message to him?" Thompson said. "This was an alternative, a way to extend our message through a different medium. It's an unconventional way to advertise our slogan and there's no good way to measure it, but it was one of those 'Let's go for it' deals."

As of right now, and subject to change, the transit authority is charging $1,000 for a rear window sponsorship and $850 for a side window for a year. The Bank of Missouri bought sponsorships for two back windows. The cost to adhere the ads to the windows is about $130.

Brune has been considering the idea of selling vehicle space for quite some time. Originally, he thought of putting small ads on the body of the vehicle.

"I started thinking I didn't want to mask the van," he said. "We don't want them to look junky."

In other words, there won't be any NASCAR buses zooming the streets of Cape Girardeau County. Brune decided to sell window space only -- with the exception of panels on the larger wheelchair vans -- using a technology that allows the ads to be visible from the outside, but invisible from the inside of the van.

And there are other restrictions. Ads may not be:

Obscene, immoral or indecent.

Promoting alcoholic beverages or tobacco products.

Political in nature.

Use such words as "Stop", "Look", "Drive-in", "Danger" or any other word, phrase or symbol that might interfere with, mislead or distract the operator of a motor vehicle.

Religious in nature.

The transit authority board reserves the right to reject any ad.

The transit authority, under the current rates and the current number of vehicles, could earn roughly $30,000. Most of the money will be used for the authority's match for capital costs to replace vans, Brune said. Some of it may be used for operating matches, if necessary.

Should the advertising campaign catch on, it could be a huge coo for the authority, given the federal government contributed $60,900 for capital improvements in the 03-04 budget. Brune said the authority figures that number to rise to $85,000 to $100,000 in the next fiscal year.

"It will help us out so much just to have that secured funding for the whole year," Brune said.

Given that the authority -- with the help of several other organizations including MoDOT and the United Way -- is making plans to expand, the transit system could be poised to have a much broader sponsorship base. A study, to be funded by the Federal Transit Administration, will soon determine the feasibility and action plan to overhaul the transit system of the entire county. The plans could include the elimination of Cape Girardeau's taxi coupon program and the expansion of the transit authority service in Cape Girardeau and the Southeast Missouri State University campus.

That would mean much more available sponsorship space for the authority.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635