The Hill stands as UCLA’s premier student commercial district—home to restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues where 45,000+ Bruins spend time daily. Traditional advertising methods including storefront signage, digital screens, and flyers face intense competition and limited reach beyond immediate foot traffic on Gayley and Broxton Avenues.
Advertising remains confined to physical storefronts, creating difficulty reaching students in dorms like Hedrick and Rieber or off-campus housing throughout Westwood. Breaking through visual clutter on busy Westwood Boulevard proves challenging, while businesses need mobile visibility following student traffic patterns rather than waiting for foot traffic to arrive.
Vehicle wraps reach Bruins during rideshare pickups, food deliveries to university housing, and commutes through Westwood Village—appearing on the Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and Grubhub services students use daily. At Carvertise, our mobile billboard platform delivers verified impressions beyond The Hill’s storefronts, intercepting students throughout campus and surrounding areas.
Traditional Advertising on The Hill
Current Advertising Options in Westwood Village
Physical Presence includes storefront signage limited to immediate foot traffic on Gayley Avenue and Broxton Avenue, street-level billboards with high costs and limited inventory, and window displays only visible to pedestrians passing specific locations. Campus newspaper ads face declining readership among digital-native students, while flyers and table tents get quickly discarded amid environmental concerns.
Digital Options encounter equally challenging limitations: social media ads face algorithm changes, ad fatigue, and scroll-past behavior, while geofenced mobile ads prove easy to dismiss amid student privacy concerns. Campus digital screens offer limited locations with high demand from competing businesses.
Limitations of Static Advertising
These approaches reach only students physically present on The Hill, missing those in dorms like Hedrick, Rieber, and Sunset Village or off-campus apartments throughout Westwood, Palms, and Culver City. No visibility exists during commute times when students travel to and from campus, and advertising cannot follow student traffic patterns during game days, move-in, or graduation. Tracking actual exposure and engagement proves difficult, while businesses maintain no presence in surrounding areas students frequent including Sawtelle, Santa Monica, and Century City.
Why Bruins Need Mobile Advertising
UCLA’s dispersed student population—13,000+ living in university housing with thousands more in Westwood apartments and surrounding neighborhoods—demands advertising reaching beyond The Hill’s foot traffic. High rideshare usage shows students relying on Uber and Lyft for weekend activities, late-night transport, and LAX trips, while food delivery dependency means DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub deliver to dorms and apartments multiple times daily.
Commuter students traveling from San Fernando Valley, South Bay, and Orange County via I-405 rarely walk The Hill despite passing through Westwood regularly. Mobile-first behavior reflects 98% smartphone ownership with constant app usage for transportation and food ordering. Game day patterns including Rose Bowl traffic, tailgating areas, and Westwood celebrations create concentrated student movement beyond traditional commercial districts.
UCLA students need advertising appearing on services they’re already using—rideshare and delivery—reaching them in dorms, apartments, and off-campus locations while following traffic patterns during high-activity periods like game days, move-in, and finals week. This creates passive exposure without interrupting routines.
Hill businesses need visibility beyond storefronts—reaching students throughout Westwood, in university housing, and along commuter routes with verified measurement.
Vehicle Wraps Around UCLA Campus
Vehicle wraps deploy branded designs on rideshare vehicles (Uber, Lyft) students use for weekend activities and LAX trips, plus food delivery vehicles (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub) arriving at dorms and apartments multiple times daily—intercepting Bruins during high-frequency moments like ordering delivery, catching rideshares, and commuting through Westwood.
How It Works for The Hill
Campaigns target 1-5 mile radiuses covering UCLA campus, The Hill, and Westwood Village, focusing on student housing zones including Hedrick, Rieber, Sunset Village, and Saxon Suites. Coverage extends to off-campus areas throughout Westwood apartments, Palms, Culver City, and Sawtelle, while targeting commuter routes along the I-405 corridor, Wilshire Boulevard, Westwood Boulevard, and Sunset Boulevard.
Timing reaches game day traffic including Rose Bowl approach routes and Westwood celebration areas, aligning with academic calendar periods like move-in weeks, orientation, homecoming, spring quarter, and graduation. GPS tracking confirms coverage around dorms, The Hill, and popular student areas, while heatmaps show exact vehicle routes through Westwood Village. Dashboard analytics display exposure during class change times, evening hours, and weekends.
Cost Structure
Carvertise offers flexible budget options without long-term contracts, scaling from 5 vehicles to 50+ based on objectives. No multi-year commitments required—run during the academic year or year-round. Production represents one-time costs per vehicle, with month-to-month flexibility allowing adjustments during summer.
The key advantage: reaching Bruins through services 99% use weekly for weekend transportation and meal delivery, creating passive brand exposure during actual service usage rather than static storefront signage limited to foot traffic.
Real Campaign Performance: University Marketing Success
Goldey-Beacom College: DBA Program Enrollment
Goldey-Beacom College leveraged Carvertise to promote their new Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program in the competitive Delaware higher education market. The college needed to generate awareness and enrollment for the new graduate program among working professionals.
Ten branded rideshare vehicles operated throughout New Castle County, Delaware, for six months, targeting events like graduation ceremonies for business students and high-traffic business districts. The wrapped vehicles traveled over 1,200 miles per month, ensuring consistent visibility among the target demographic.
The campaign delivered exceptional results—enrolling over 65 students in the new program and making it the fastest-growing DBA program in the region. The success demonstrated rideshare advertising’s effectiveness for graduate program recruitment, reaching working professionals through their daily commutes and travels rather than relying on traditional campus advertising—proving the model’s value for institutions targeting non-traditional student populations.
The Carvertise Platform for The Hill Marketing
Campaign Setup and Targeting
Geographic Precision allows defining precise 1-5 mile radiuses around UCLA campus and The Hill, layering in student housing including Hedrick, Rieber, Sunset Village, Saxon Suites, and off-campus Westwood apartments. Carvertise targets The Hill commercial district along Gayley Avenue, Broxton Avenue, and Westwood Boulevard, focusing on student-frequented areas like Sawtelle (Japantown), Santa Monica, and Century City while covering commuter routes along I-405, Wilshire Boulevard, and Sunset Boulevard.
Scheduling Strategy aligns with UCLA’s quarter system academic calendar (late September through mid-June), concentrating during move-in week, orientation, homecoming, and finals weeks. Campaigns scale for events including Rose Bowl football games, Pauley Pavilion basketball games, and spring quarter activities, maintaining presence during summer for year-round programs while adjusting timing for evening hours and weekends when students use rideshare and delivery most.
Driver Network consists of rideshare drivers serving UCLA with Uber and Lyft pickups from dorms and The Hill, food delivery drivers with routes to university housing, and drivers living or working in Westwood with natural traffic patterns ensuring professional vehicle standards.
Analytics and Measurement
Real-Time Dashboard provides GPS-verified routes showing campus, The Hill, and student housing coverage, impression calculations based on actual Westwood traffic and pedestrian counts, and heatmaps displaying concentration around dorms and popular areas. Carvertise tracks dwell time in priority zones with hour-by-hour breakdowns showing evening activity and weekend patterns.
Strategic Advantages for The Hill Businesses
Westwood-Specific Benefits
Capturing UCLA Student Patterns: With 45,000+ students creating concentrated demand for food, entertainment, and services, vehicle wraps reach students in dorms ordering delivery multiple times daily. Mobile ads intercept weekend rideshare traffic to and from The Hill nightlife and maintain visibility during summer when fewer students walk The Hill’s retail corridor.
Beyond Storefront Limitations: Vehicle advertising reaches students before they decide where to eat or shop—decisions made in dorms, not on The Hill. Campaigns target off-campus students in Westwood apartments, Palms, and Culver City, while capturing commuter students who drive through Westwood but rarely park and walk. Visibility extends to Sawtelle, Santa Monica, and other areas students frequent beyond The Hill.
Game Day Opportunities: Scale coverage for Rose Bowl football games, concentrate on Westwood celebration areas after victories, and target pre-game and post-game dining and entertainment periods when student spending peaks.
Campaign Flexibility
Update messaging for different quarters (fall, winter, spring), test promotions during finals week versus regular weeks, and create urgency around limited-time offers. Swap creative for sports seasons or events in 2-3 weeks versus static storefront signage requiring months to change.
Getting Started with Carvertise
For businesses on The Hill looking to reach UCLA students beyond foot traffic, Carvertise offers a mobile solution from concept to deployment. The process begins by defining goals—whether targeting students in specific dorms, off-campus housing, or commuter populations—plus geographic priorities around campus, The Hill, and surrounding student areas.
Carvertise strategists analyze Bruin traffic patterns and demographics, recommending optimal fleet sizes for maximum student penetration while mapping routes covering university housing, The Hill commercial district, and popular student destinations. The design team collaborates on creative resonating with UCLA culture, incorporating trackable elements like QR codes for mobile ordering or unique promo codes.
Vehicles deploy within 3-4 weeks, with real-time dashboard tracking showing campus and Westwood coverage. Campaigns adjust messaging based on quarter timing and student activity patterns, scaling during high-traffic periods.
Reach out to us today to explore reaching Bruins through the rideshare and delivery services they use daily—with verified measurement impossible through traditional Hill storefront advertising.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does advertising on The Hill cost compared to vehicle wraps?
Carvertise offers flexible month-to-month pricing scaling from 5 to 50+ vehicles without long-term contracts. Unlike high-cost Hill billboards and digital screens with limited reach, vehicle wraps deliver verified impressions throughout UCLA campus, dorms, and surrounding student areas.
Can vehicle wraps reach students in UCLA dorms and off-campus housing?
Yes. Wraps deploy on rideshare and delivery vehicles arriving at Hedrick, Rieber, Sunset Village, and Saxon Suites daily. Campaigns target 1-5 mile radiuses covering university housing, Westwood apartments, Palms, Culver City, and Sawtelle—reaching students where they live.
How do I measure ROI from vehicle advertising around UCLA?
GPS tracking provides verified impressions, route heatmaps around dorms and The Hill, and hour-by-hour activity breakdowns. Track effectiveness through unique promo codes and QR codes—data impossible to obtain from storefront signage.
What’s the minimum commitment for a Westwood advertising campaign?
No multi-year commitments required. Month-to-month flexibility allows campaigns during academic year or year-round, with fleet scaling from 5 to 50+ vehicles and summer adjustments.
Can I target specific areas (dorms, off-campus apartments, commuter routes)?
Absolutely. Define 1-5 mile radiuses around campus and layer in Hedrick, Rieber, Sunset Village, Saxon Suites, Westwood apartments, and commuter routes along I-405, Wilshire Boulevard, and Westwood Boulevard.
How quickly can a campaign launch for fall quarter?
Campaigns deploy in 3-4 weeks from concept to street. For fall quarter launches targeting move-in (late September), begin planning by late August. Creative swaps take 2-3 weeks.
What types of Hill businesses benefit most from vehicle advertising?
Restaurants reach students ordering delivery multiple times daily. Entertainment venues capture weekend rideshare traffic. Retail shops extend beyond storefronts to off-campus students. Service businesses target commuters who drive through Westwood but rarely walk The Hill.
Can I adjust messaging during different quarters or events?
Yes. Update creative for fall, winter, spring quarters, test finals week promotions, and scale for Rose Bowl games. Swap creative in 2-3 weeks versus months for static signage.