BRAND THE BUS! JACKPOT INCREASED IN HUGE BONUS FOR GOOD CAUSES

•Value of competition prize-pot now grows to £50,000   

•Partnership with JACKfm creates bumper advertising package for winning charity  

•Winner to replace JACKfm presenter Iain Lee’s face on a bus 

•Competition helps local charities and good causes raise awareness of what they do

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 winning good cause will now also receive £20,000 of radio advertising with JACKfm. 

To celebrate 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 on-board 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 deadline to enter is now 1^st December, voting will run until New Year’s Day and 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.”

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. 

The 10 entries for 2023 that are deemed best according to a public vote will be shortlisted and examined by a judging panel. 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. This year mental health charity Restore won first prize 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. Runners-up will receive support via digital on-board bus advertising worth £2,000 to the runner up and £1,000 to the second runner up. So far 39 good causes have entered the 2023 competition. 

For more details and to enter please visit here: https://www.oxfordbus.co.uk/brand-bus