In London, cabbies as viral marketers
Advertisers get sneakier every
day.
London taxi drivers have never been shy about
sharing their views. George W. Bush? The royals? Cabbies are sure to have an
opinion. But what if they start talking about Texas hold ‘em or a royal
flush?
In a promotional campaign for 888.com, an online gambling business, 375 London taxis have been decked out with advertisements for the company’s Web site. Most of the cabs are simply moving billboards for 888, which provides online poker and other kinds of gaming.
But in 10 of the cabs, the marketing pitch goes further. The drivers may seek to engage passengers in conversation about poker. If customers take the bait, the drivers try to steer the chat gently toward 888.com. Those who show particular interest may be given coupons offering free hands of virtual cards - worth as much as $10 - on the poker site.
A captive audience at its worst. What are you going to do? Jump out of the cab?
Taxi Promotions UK, the agency that set up the 888.com campaign, calls its roving pitchmen “ambassador drivers…”
Now Taxi Promotions is trying to expand the ambassador program, creating a new unit called Womad Taxis, short for “word of mouth.” It aims to capitalize on the growing interest in word of mouth advertising, a form of marketing based on the notion that consumers place more trust in something they hear directly from another person, than something they learn through the media.
In a promotional campaign for 888.com, an online gambling business, 375 London taxis have been decked out with advertisements for the company’s Web site. Most of the cabs are simply moving billboards for 888, which provides online poker and other kinds of gaming.
But in 10 of the cabs, the marketing pitch goes further. The drivers may seek to engage passengers in conversation about poker. If customers take the bait, the drivers try to steer the chat gently toward 888.com. Those who show particular interest may be given coupons offering free hands of virtual cards - worth as much as $10 - on the poker site.
A captive audience at its worst. What are you going to do? Jump out of the cab?
Taxi Promotions UK, the agency that set up the 888.com campaign, calls its roving pitchmen “ambassador drivers…”
Now Taxi Promotions is trying to expand the ambassador program, creating a new unit called Womad Taxis, short for “word of mouth.” It aims to capitalize on the growing interest in word of mouth advertising, a form of marketing based on the notion that consumers place more trust in something they hear directly from another person, than something they learn through the media.
Posted: Sun - January 20, 2008 at 12:44 PM