Residents of Stevens Point may notice something unusual about some city buses. At least one of the buses is now sporting graphically appealing vinyl wraps. The wraps were developed by Marshfield Clinic and Ministry Health Care to increase the public's awareness of their joint heart care program.

Residents have become familiar with panel advertising in smaller areas on the back ends and sides of local buses, but these wraps are much larger, covering most of the buses' exteriors with graphics. The wraps, and similar ones being revealed in Wausau at the same time, are the first of their kind in the area.

City and Transit officials say residents should know that these are the same familiar buses they've always known. They'll be running the same routes on the same schedules, and won't be making any extra scheduled stops at advertising sponsor locations. The wraps will not cover the front of the buses, leaving destination signs and transit company logos uncovered so riders can identify the buses as belonging to Stevens Point Transit.

Advertising on Point Transit buses is managed by Houck Ads of St. Paul, Minnesota. Marshfield Clinic and Ministry Health Care worked with Creative Communication & Design of Wausau and Houck Ads to use this new form of advertising to promote their joint heart care team. It is a win-win situation because the heart care team gets exposure for their message and the Stevens Point transit system gets much needed advertising revenue.

This funding helps defray the cost of public transportation, which provides a valuable service to many members of the community and is an environmentally-friendly form of transportation.

		Susan Lemke, General Manager of Stevens Point Transit, said, "These brand new bus wraps will not only bring revenue to supplement our budget, but also help to create new partnerships with local businesses." For Dennis Kepchar, Ministry Health Care's Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, it's a matter of effectively communicating an important message. "Heart disease is still the number one killer of Americans, and we have a program that can help. We want to make sure the word gets out. The large, compelling graphics will attract attention."

Al Chaney, Marketing Director at Marshfield Clinic agrees. "We liked the idea of a bus wrap because it's big and bold. You just can't help but notice it when it drives by. It can be one of the most cost effective ways of delivering a message to a lot of people over a sustained period of time."

"Using bus wraps to communicate important information is very common in the healthcare industry and non-profits in the U.S.," says Tom Houck, whose company specializes in producing and managing bus advertising. For the Marshfield Clinic and Ministry Health Care heart care partnership, Houck Ads is wrapping five of 20 buses operated by Wausau Area Transit System and one of six in Stevens Point.