The agency won the account from incumbent OMD with the brief to reinvigorate BSM's off and online campaigns, recruit new pupils and instructors, and promote BSM services through radio, press, directories, paid search and digital media.
Last year, BSM spent £144,000 on media, according to The Nielsen Company, with £62,272 of that online, £23,420 on press, £1,643 on outdoor and £57,567 on direct mail and door drops. This year, the driving school plans to spend £1m across all media.
Equi=Media will target young learner-drivers aged 17-25 and their parents, focusing recruitment on geographic areas served by BSM schools. It recently launched a website feature that enables pupils across the country to book lessons online, increasing the usability of BSM services and the convenience of the online booking system.
Recruitment activity will also be targeted regionally to recruit new instructors. All online activity will be planned to complement BSM's offline advertising schedules and sponsorship.
In April, insurance giant Aviva sold BSM and its subsidiaries to Arques Industries, the investor that specialises in turning around underperforming businesses, for £36m.
Founded in 1910, the business employs 2,800 driving instructors teaching about 130,000 learner drivers a year - a 10% market share.
The brand's last significant media campaign was in January 2007, when it sponsored E4's teen series Skins. BSM's brand was knitted into Skins content and information wherever it was delivered, across TV, video-on-demand and online.
The campaign generated a return on investment of 9:1. New learner-drivers at BSM increased 7%. More than 20,000 people entered the competition, generating 11,800 leads for BSM's call centre.
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