Is cab advertising the answer to advertising problems?

As the economic climate has increasingly become more difficult, so marketing budgets have come under greater scrutiny, propelling brands and businesses to seek more 'wow' factor and greater return on investment. In many cases, therefore, traditional means of advertising simply don’t hold enough appeal to as many brands anymore.

The growth of digital advertising owing to the technology boom is facing a problem with consumers now being able to activate ad blockers and ad-free subscription services such as Netflix and ShowMax to eliminate digital forms of advertising invading their personal space by the simple means of fast forwarding.

Metered cab branding offers the advertiser an opportunity to stand out and break through the marketing clutter and engage in highly visible and effective campaigns that can penetrate where other forms of traditional advertising cannot.

New Wave Outdoor Media (NWOM) Taxi Branding Specialists, have pioneered the art of 3D innovation to meet the needs of the current brand demand.

Comments Warren Weiner MD of NWOM, “We activated a brand awareness campaign which began on 1 December where we constructed a life-size watch to appear on the rooftops of a group of cabs in Cape Town. The watches look identical to the originals and it created a massive talking point around the city, resulting in confirmation that this tactical form of advertising stands out from the rest of the marketing clutter and is highly impactful on consumers.”

Nestle Aero Bubbly chocolate had the same approach, but also took things to the next level by incorporating a strong sampling activation to accompany their roof top innovation.

Says a spokesperson from Nestle; “The aim for this OOH campaign was to delight the consumer with the unexpected, through leveraging the ‘wacky Bubble’ Aero cabs footprint to drive overall brand awareness while also increasing engagement with the brand by incorporating our social media platforms to drive awareness of our new Aero Chocolate. Consumers were introduced to the new Adverts and other promotional material via a video screen within the cab, then encouraged to create their own content while in or next to the branded cab (Selfie, Video etc.) and post it on Facebook and Instagram or Tweet it with the hashtag “#Aeroletgo.”

“Each passenger received a complimentary slab of Aero Bubble from their cab driver, whether they entered or not as an additional sampling drive. We sampled over 1000 passengers during the duration of the campaign. Aero gained over 7000 more followers in the first six weeks (passengers and non-passengers) with just 8 cabs in Johannesburg and Cape Town.”

Comments Weiner, “Metered cab branding allows non-invasive repetitive advertising, and with repetition, comes increased brand awareness resulting in a high recall rate. Cabs are estimated by the South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF) to be the most viewed channel for OOH advertising, marginally ahead of street poles and billboards.”

“Brands are constantly looking for new ways to reinvent themselves and stay ahead of the innovation spectrum, and we are giving brands the opportunity to do this successfully,” adds Weiner. 

“Aldo and NWOM embarked on a nationwide campaign #perfectpair recently; and for the first time developed a customised app which housed itself on an android tablet within the branded cabs. Consumers were able to communicate with the brand as well as view the Summer 15 range, enter a competition by taking a selfie which was automatically uploaded to the Aldo Facebook page and purchase products through their online store www.aldoshoessa.co.za,” comments Kirsten Barker from Aldo. 

“Research that we have conducted with an external company comparing a branded cab versus a billboard has shown that in this particular case study, approximately 1 in 6 respondents noticed the branded cab, 1 in 3 recalled the correct brand on the vehicle and 1 in 16 respondents recalled the electronic billboard. Proving that innovative metered cab branding is far more noticable in the public eye, therefore having a greater impact and reach at a cost-effective rate,” concludes Weiner.

For more information, visit www.nwom.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.