Our work
Zeelo
Zeelo is a bus-sharing company, providing smart transportation services that connect underserved areas so people can make the most of their travelling time. The company builds routes using a unique AI-powered algorithm, which assess demand against existing traditional transport options. Diffusion was tasked with positioning Zeelo as a transport tech innovator and to help drive consumer take-up of their on-demand bus services to take fans to sporting events.
Insight & Idea
Supporters are the lifeblood of live sporting events, yet they are routinely disincentivised from attending matches due to a lack of viable public transport options. Where public transport is available, the cost of travelling can often outstrip the price of a match ticket, and for those who are prepared to pay the frequently exorbitant travel fees, the experience is often one of discomfort and disruption.
Diffusion developed its ‘Supporting the Missing Fan’ campaign as a broader issues-platform to highlight the impact of the rising cost of sport and hassle of travel to games, on match attendance. This was designed to position Zeelo as a fan-champion and driven by a hyper-local media relations strategy to promote individual routes.
Impact & Action
To promote individual Zeelo bus routes to football, rugby and other sporting fixtures, Diffusion’s Insights team first looked at conversations online to map the local media and sites read by fans. Diffusion next worked with Zeelo to develop match-specific promotional codes which could be offered to local and regional media to drive seat sales. This allowed the impact of the PR campaign on ticket sales to be directly attributed.
Over 12 months, the number of fans purchasing tickets for Zeelo bus routes promoted through PR alone, was doubled. As an example, our work generating local media coverage promoting routes to the Football League Playoff finals drove a 334% increase in website traffic and a 52% increase in revenues that month. Diffusion’s campaign with its ability to deliver real and measurable commercial returns for Zeelo was recognised by both the CIPR Excellence Awards 2019 and the PR Moment Awards 2019.
The Metrics
