BrightMove
Media bring digital advertising innovation to London’s black taxis
Digital
taxi-top advertising comes to London’s street with Magnum, MasterCard and Billy
Elliot among the launch brands
LONDON,
June 24th, 2013 – BrightMove
Media has become the first innovator to deliver digital taxi-top
advertising onto the streets of London, creating a new media opportunity that
embraces 3G technology to bring relevant and timely brand messages to
consumers.
BrightMove Media’s development,
TaxiCast, launches in collaboration with Ubiquitous, the leading UK taxi
advertising operator with over 30 years’ experience in this market, and works
by using dual-sided, roof mounted LED
screens positioned at eye level.
The first fleet of 25 black taxis will
be released onto the streets from Monday and will feature advertising by Unilever’s
Magnum, the hit West End show Billy Elliot and MasterCard. Other brands will be
revealed later this week as BrightMove continues to work on media and creatives
with Saatchi & Saatchi, Mindshare, Talon Outdoor, Kinetic and AKA.
TaxiCast has been created after an
extensive TfL regulated and approved research and development programme, which
not only included rigorous safety and electrical testing, but also took into
consideration the general public’s admiration of the iconic shape of the London
taxi.
Commenting on the new media
opportunity, Andrew Barnett, Managing Director of Ubiquitous said: “For over 30
years the team behind Ubiquitous has lead the taxi advertising industry, so we
are thrilled to be partnering with BrightMove to bring this exciting new format
to the UK Outdoor advertising market.
Brands have long been attracted to the iconic black taxi as an effective
and appealing way to reach urban audiences in large numbers. With the advent of
TaxiCast, brands will now be able to deliver illuminated eye-level messages
that are location (GPS) and time targeted, enhancing consumer relevancy and
brand budget effectiveness.”
The carbon-neutral taxi innovation has
a powerful centralised media platform that has been entirely developed in house
using BrightMove Media’s extensive experience of enterprise systems development,
enabling effective campaign management and accountable reporting for all the
featured brands.
Piers Mummery Chief Executive Officer at
BrightMove Media added: “We have worked behind the scenes for some time to
ensure we deliver a technically excellent product, one which delivers flexible
and accountable opportunities for advertisers. On bringing this innovation to
the market in partnership with Ubiquitous, we have a collaboration with a
proven track record of success in the taxi advertising market and one which
will enable us to retain our leadership position. We are very excited to see our
first fleet on the streets of London today, featuring our launch partner brands.”
MEDIA
Q&A
TaxiCast’s
Preferred LED Screens and Geo-Located Ad Posts
TaxiCast works by using dual-sided, roof mounted LED screens positioned
at eye level on the top of licensed London Hackney Carriages . This preferred technology,
also used by digital billboards in Piccadilly Circus and Time Square NY,
provides a vibrant and visually arresting display in all weathers, including
brilliant sunshine.
The
system maintains location awareness via GPS, allowing advertisers to tailor
their campaigns to specific locations or areas of London, and to collate
information on when, where and how often their adverts have been seen.
For
example, a restaurant chain may only want their messages to be shown within
100m of their venues, or a bank may wish their messages only to be shown when
the taxi is within the Square Mile. This ability to target a campaign so
precisely by area, as well as by time of day, ensures maximum relevancy for the
advertiser and the consumer on the street.
Carbon Neutral
This
London innovation has been developed and built exclusively in the UK. It
complies with the government’s Clean Air Act, using a combination of weight,
design ergonomics and power management to ensure neutral carbon emissions. The
system also has the ability to operate even with the engine turned off with no
detriment to the vehicle.
ConnectaCast Media Platform
The
ConnectaCast Media platform uses a private and secure IP to IP link via 3G
cellular networks to stay in constant contact with the TaxiCast platform. This
enables new and updated content to be delivered in near real time. The ad
serving deployment allows the system to be used for time sensitive advertising,
such as marketing the last remaining tickets before a show, or to respond to
current events within minutes.
This
private network also provides a steady stream of logging information from each
TaxiCast taxi , used to provide
comprehensive reporting for each advertiser on where and when their campaign
has been delivered..
The
powerful centralised media platform has been entirely developed in house, using
BrightMove Media's experience of global system development, delivery and
operation. This has resulted in a unique approach that is focussed on rapid
deployment of new materials across the fleet, and is ideally placed to keep
ahead in the ever changing environment of digital out of home (DOOH).
The
mobile network environment is a demanding one, and rigorous testing has been
undertaken with thousands of operational hours and miles covered. The
technology is proven, reliable and robust, having received comprehensive
technical compliance for deployment in any UN and EU country.
Of
particular note are the innovative dual sided LED screens that have low power
requirements, coupled with a proprietary power management system to guarantee
the vehicle's safety and operation.
The
screens have been designed within a low profile shape for maximum height
clearance, negligible impact on fuel consumption, and to look an integral part
of one of London's most iconic shapes.
-Ends -
For
further information, interview requests and photography for BrightMove Media
please contact Kirsty Leighton/Sophie Lister on 020 7796
4133
For London: BrightMove
Media is a hot new entrepreneurial company started in 2012. Innovators in taxi
advertising for London, TaxiCast is a new digital advertising service from BrightMove Media. It
is the first commercial roll out of digital taxi top advertising which is fully
approved by Transport for London and Transport Research Laboratory for black
taxis. It broadcasts digital real time
messages from a dual-sided LED screen mounted on the roof of a licensed black
taxi. All advertising has the ability to deliver time and geo targeted
messaging to ensure greater relevancy and impact.
For Taxis: For
drivers and taxi operators, BrightMove Media’s TaxiCast offers a slick design
which complements London’s black cabs iconic shape. This new taxi based digital
advertising service offers a new source of revenue and a further incentive to
join the licensed taxi network. It is a carbon neutral service that is power
efficient as well as London Clean Air Act compliant.
For Advertisers: TaxiCast
offers a unique opportunity to provide a measurable digital outdoor advertising
service, visible day and night and with the ability to use geo-fencing
technology to deliver ads at a certain time, in a specific location and to the
right audience. TaxiCast delivers the ultimate in delivering the right message,
to the right person at the right time and in the right place; the Holy Grail of
advertising!
About Ubiquitous
Founded in 2005, Ubiquitous is at
the forefront of the UK’s taxi advertising industry and is an important
stakeholder in UK outdoor advertising.
Ubiquitous has played a pivotal
role in the development of the UK taxi advertising industry and passengers’
in-cab experience. In 2013, the company launched CabConnect, bringing free Wi-Fi to a network of branded
taxis and London passengers, as well as one-on-one brand communication
opportunities for sponsors via Wi-Fi web hubs and NFC touchpoints. Ubiquitous
was also responsible for the creation of many other well recognised taxi
advertising formats.
The company’s leadership team
boasts over 75 years of combined industry experience. Through a philosophy
founded upon delivering first class service to advertisers and taxi drivers,
Ubiquitous has experienced sustained and positive growth since its founding and
today operates a national fleet of black taxis that carry advertising from a
wide variety of valued clients, including Microsoft, BlackBerry, Virgin
Airlines, Monsoon, QuidCo, Vodafone and UGG.
Taxi
Facts
·
The audience is active shoppers, business
influencers and leisure visitors
·
77% of Londoners agree that taxis are an
eye-catching place for brands to be seen
·
40% of
business commuters use taxis for travelling to meetings during
the day.
·
98% of London adults see the black taxi as an
iconic part of the city landscape
·
80% agree that they are a vital service for
busy people
·
59% of Londoners have seen black taxi
advertising in the past week.
·
A average black taxi travels 126 miles every
day in London
·
30% of consumers recall a taxi ad more than a
TV ad
·
77% - of ABC1s often notice new taxi
advertising campaigns
·
70% of people who live or commute into London
agree that black taxis are the most iconic form of London transport
Source:. GB TGI, Kinetic, Dipsticks,
London Authority.
