WX1: WX1

The WX1 isn’t just a bus route. It’s the heartbeat of West Auckland, the iconic commute that connects Westies to the city.

But post-COVID, passenger numbers had dropped, and Auckland Transport needed to bring pride, energy and momentum back to the West. The opportunity came when the WX1 became the first route to receive a full fleet of new double-decker buses. Instead of launching a new service message, we launched a feeling.

For a radio campaign, we partnered with local hip-hop legends Church + AP to create an original track that captured what it truly means to be a Westsider.

No scripts. No sales lines. No CTA. Just a great song that celebrated West Auckland’s places, people and attitude, with the WX1 woven naturally into the story.

The result was a radio ad that didn’t sound like advertising at all. It sounded like a summer anthem. Listeners stayed tuned, sang along and shared the track, hunted it down on Spotify after, often without realising it was created by Auckland Transport.

By becoming part of culture rather than interrupting it, the campaign turned radio from a media channel into a music platform.

Within its first week, the track began driving a noticeable uplift in WX1 patronage, and a whole lotta streams. WX1 proved that when you respect local identity and let music lead, even a radio ad can move an entire community, and get them back on the bus.