Activation 1May 3 · Parade Activation 2May 4 · BP Route Activation 3Jun 26 · March Activation 4Jul 18 · Festival
Case Study · Public-Awareness Series

A British Company
Locked Out
American Workers.

USW Local 7-1 × AOTC

Over four activations, AOTC kept an unresolved BP lockout in public view — carrying the message for 800+ workers and 800+ families from a community parade, to the facility perimeter, to a solidarity march into Chicago, and finally to a 40,000-plus festival audience. Silence would have made the lockout easier to ignore.

Northwest Indiana & ChicagoMay 3 – July 18, 2026Labor · Public Affairs
Activation 1 · May 3 · Community Parade

The illegal lockout enters a community parade

AOTC joined the Hammond Hermits Little League parade — USW's first collaboration in Hammond, only blocks from the BP facility where workers were locked out. USW awareness displays rotated with Hermits parade content, spreading the message without taking away from the community celebration.

The Contrast

"A British company locking out American workers" — a direct message identifying the campaign's core argument in seconds.

The Demand

"BP, end the lockout" — a clear public call, paired with a chain-and-padlock graphic.

The People

The USW Local 7-1 identity anchored every route to the 800+ workers and families represented.

Activation 1 route footage — USW Local 7-1 BP lockout advocacy campaign
Route footage · the Hammond Hermits parade
Activation 2 · May 4 · Facility Perimeter

Two hours around the British Petroleum facility

AOTC circled the BP facility in Whiting for two hours with repetitive placement, creating sustained visibility instead of a single pass. The team stopped to talk with and shake hands with oil workers holding their post — pairing the public message with direct, person-to-person solidarity.

2 hrsFacility perimeter route
1BP facility centered
800+Workers represented
DirectWorker conversations & support
USW Local 7-1 workers and organizers standing in front of the AOTC LED truck displaying the lockout message
Two USW workers holding illegal lockout signs in front of the AOTC LED truck at dusk
USW workers holding illegal lockout signs in front of the AOTC LED truck near the BP facility
Three USW workers in rain ponchos holding illegal lockout signs in front of the AOTC LED truck
Activation 3 · June 26 · Solidarity March

The message became a march

After three months of lockout, AOTC joined the USW Solidarity March from East Chicago to BP's downtown Chicago offices — moving through East Chicago, Hammond, Whiting, and Chicago. What began as a request for supporters to stand together became a visible demonstration that filled the streets and carried the message across markets and state lines.

4Cities across the route
2States connected
3 moLockout duration at time of march
800+Workers represented
Crowd of USW supporters gathered around the AOTC LED truck outside BP's downtown Chicago offices
Downtown Chicago · the rally arrives
A supporter holding a Solidarity sign in front of the AOTC LED truck among Chicago skyscrapers
Solidarity · the message downtown
Route footage · the march in motion
News coverage screenshot: USW workers rallied Friday outside BP offices in Chicago
Earned media · local news coverage
Activation 4 · July 18 · Festival Visibility

Sustaining awareness when public attention peaks

The fourth activation brought the ongoing lockout message into Festival of the Lakes — more than 40,000 attendees in Hammond. Not a foot-traffic campaign but an exposure route, keeping 800+ workers and 800+ families visible with a 33% share of voice. Even in the rain, the displays stayed bright, readable, and unmistakable. Behind every locked-out worker is a family counting on that paycheck.

40K+Festival audience opportunity
33%Share of voice during activation
4thSustained-awareness activation
800+Families centered in the message
Activation 4 route footage — USW Local 7-1 campaign, first pass
Route footage · Festival of the Lakes
Activation 4 route footage — USW Local 7-1 campaign, second pass
Route footage · bright and readable in the rain

The Complete Series

One issue. Four public-awareness moments.

01

Community Parade

The first public introduction, in a family-centered Hammond route. May 3.
02

Facility Perimeter

Repeated loops and worker contact at the BP facility. May 4.
03

Solidarity March

Four cities, two states, ending at BP's Chicago offices. June 26.
04

Festival Visibility

Sustained awareness before Hammond's largest live audience. July 18.

The Creative

The same message, carried across all four activations

USW LED panel: A British Company Locking Out American Workers
USW LED panel: BP End The Lockout, United Steelworkers, Unity and Strength for Workers
USW Oilworkers Local 7-1 logo

Four activations kept one unresolved issue impossible to ignore.

AOTC does more than carry advertisements. We carry messages into the public moments where attention is already concentrated — and help the people behind those messages remain seen.

Make The Message Impossible to Ignore →
AOTC — Mobile LED Billboard Advertising · Messages That Matter