Daewoo Passenger turns city buses into rolling billboards for Ulsan festivals

Daewoo Passenger Automobile Co., which operates city buses in Ulsan, is drawing attention for its effort to promote the Ulsan Whale Festival and the Ulsan Industrial Festival this October by turning bus exteriors into moving advertisement boards.

This year marks the 30th edition of the Ulsan Whale Festival. Running from Oct. 15 to 18 at the Jangseongpo Whale Culture Special Zone, the event is themed "The Whale's Invitation: A 30th Birthday Party" and will feature programs including a whale parade, a large-scale whale experience zone and a whale-riding challenge.

For the festival, Daewoo Passenger wrapped the exterior of its No. 216 city bus — which runs from Nongso in Buk-gu through Byeongyeong in Jung-gu to Jangseongpo in Nam-gu — with an image of a large whale swimming off the coast of Jangseongpo, once the heart of Korea's whaling industry. The design carries the slogan "Ulsan, where you meet the whale again — a greater Ulsan the whale dreams of," turning the bus into a rolling promotional showcase for the festival as it travels through the city center.

The Whale Culture Foundation, which organizes the festival, expects the promotional support from Daewoo Passenger to significantly boost public interest in the 30th anniversary edition of the Ulsan Whale Festival.

Nam-gu District Mayor Lim Hyeon-cheol, who also serves as chairman of the Whale Culture Foundation, said it was meaningful to have a local company join in promoting the festival. "I believe residents will naturally learn about the festival through the city buses and come out to the venue themselves," he said.

Daewoo Passenger Automobile has also created a promotional wrap for its No. 1214 bus — which runs from Nongso in Buk-gu through Jung-gu district office, Nam-gu city hall, Ungchon in Ulju-gun, Deokgye in Yangsan and on to Nopo-dong in Busan — to promote the Ulsan Industrial Festival, held at Taehwagang National Garden in Ulsan from Thursday through Sunday. The bus carries the slogan "When Ulsan moves, Korea changes."

The initiative is funded through a scheme in which the company's roughly 370 drivers each set aside up to 10,000 won ($7) per month from their wages, with the CEO matching the total amount contributed by employees. Each year, the company runs its "rolling promotional showcase" buses for four events: the Ulsan Grand Park Rose Festival in May, the Ulsan Industrial Festival in October, the Ulsan Whale Festival in October and the Ulsan Christmas Culture Festival in November.

Lee Eun-seup, executive director of Daewoo Passenger Automobile, said employees pool small amounts from each paycheck to help promote the local community by making use of the mobility of city buses.