A Bus Tour With Style

Consumers and call center workers alike in 10 cities will get a little sprucing up this fall, courtesy of Style's “Beauty Bus.”

The bus tour, which kicked off in St. Louis last weekend at locations designated by Charter Communications affiliates, is part of the annual branding experience utilized since 2004 by the network.

In the past, the tour has been consumer focused. This year, the channel will show its gratitude for the hard work of cable telephone sales people by letting the CSRs in on the free manicures and hairdos.

“They work really hard and when you can bring them something unique, it's a big plus, a big positive,” said Stephen Earley, senior vice president of integrated marketing at Style.

The tour will also integrate another partnership supported by Style. The channel promotes awareness of Dress for Success, the New York-based international nonprofit organization. Dress for Success helps clients find jobs and outfits them for their interviews with suits donated by the public.

Two of the bus tour stops, in the Bronx, N.Y., and Philadelphia, will include visits to the Dress for Success boutiques in those areas. The Philadelphia stop, co-sponsored by Style owner Comcast, will draw attention to the grand opening of the facility there.

“Our tour is a beautiful compliment to that,” Earley said of the Dress for Success launch.

The 34-foot tour bus teaches visitors about new fashion and style secrets and offers mini-makeovers by beauty professionals from sponsors Garnier Fructis and Maybelline New York. The hair, nail and make-up stations on the bus provide complimentary blow-outs, manicures and makeup consultations.

Affiliates participating in the tour also include Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Insight Communications. The bus is customized at each stop with signs from the local cable system. Videos from Style are displayed, noting the local channel and times of the channel's shows.

Earley said local advertising sales against the tour stops “have not been exploited as much as we like,” because for the past four years, the effort has focused on branding, not ad sales.

Tour stops will include Madison and Milwaukee, Wis.; Indianapolis; New York; Providence, R.I.; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Louisville, Ky., and Kansas City, Mo.