Utah Department of Transportation
All Things Transportation
THE SITUATION
To keep up with one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, UDOT is continually building new roads and completing major maintenance projects to keep Utah moving. UDOT challenged Intrepid to help communicate its many construction projects and innovations, while building its favorability rating.
THE SOLUTION
Nobody likes construction. But we learned through research that people are more forgiving and understanding if they are warned about the work ahead of time and understand its benefits. So we launched a comprehensive program to do just that. The program needed to be informative but not entertaining, as our research showed that construction is serious business.
THE WORK
Created an in-house news bureau to gather, prioritize and strategically disseminate construction information
Conducted media briefings or disseminated press releases highlighting significant projects and impacts during construction season
Placed live radio ads (instead of produced spots) to communicate time-sensitive construction information to a widespread audience
Placed digital and social advertising to alert drivers to major construction impacts and to educate them about new traffic changes
Implemented a trucking outreach program, including fostering relationships, providing weekly e-mails, and presenting monthly to trucking groups
Built a targeted statewide email list of hotel, recreation and resort properties and distributed a weekly travel update
Supported social media campaigns, including developing content and videos
THE RESULTS
Nearly 3,000 media stories per year since the campaign began 15 years ago (98 percent of which were neutral to positive in 2020)
More than 500,000 views of social media videos showcasing UDOT construction projects
Numerous awards, including the PR industry’s highest honor—the Silver Anvil award from the Public Relations Society of America —and dozens of Golden Spike Awards
Improved the department’s favorability rating among Utahns from 69 percent to an all-time high of 80 percent
Decreased traffic volumes immediately prior to scheduled road closure times
1 million downloads of the UDOT Traffic app
