The Growth of Taxi Advertising in Transit Marketing

In today’s busy environment, transit marketing has become one of the most effective means of advertising in cities. Taxi advertising, in particular, has become very popular for its flexibility, visibility, and the ability to serve many different audiences. In the USA, taxis move to different destinations in cities every day and have the ability to serve thousands of people in their rides, thus becoming a portable buying engagement platform for brands.

What is Taxi Advertising?  

Taxi advertising is the use of advertising on and in taxis. These can be advertising wraps on the sides of taxis, rooftop advertising signs, advertising placed on digital displays, and advertising placed on the inside on posters. Unlike billboards and online ads, advertising on taxis is active and is able to get in front of different people in different areas. These ads are parked in the streets for use in the intended marketing strategy. This type of advertising is a more active form of advertising of the larger transit advertising that includes advertising on buses, subway cars, trains, and other forms of public transportation.

Benefits of Advertising on Taxis  

More movement and visibility. The most notable asset of taxi advertising is certainly its mobility. Taxis operate business centers, residential precincts and tourist spots. Hence, a company’s promotional message is passed on to varying audiences in multiple venues. Due to this mobility, advertising content gets constant and maximum exposure.

Scope of Targeting. Taxis tend to work in specific neighborhoods. Hence, brands get the opportunity to focus on specific taxi routes where their target population is in high density. For instance, there could be a local dining joint or retail store that wants to target and attract commuters and people living nearby.

Economical Alternative. Taxis advertising is also a cheaper option than other media. About every other traditional media, a taxi advertising is also a way of getting influence, impressions, or publicity at a high rate. To promote their brands through taxi advertising, companies get thousands of people viewing their content daily.

Recall. Transit ads like the ads displayed on taxis tend to have a higher eventual recall than other advertising methods. One of the reasons is their visibility in high traffic complemented by constant exposure through the same audience over time. This is also why ads displayed on taxis are able to get constant exposure and receive high traffic.**Creative Flexibility:** Taxi advertising promotes creative and out of the box advertising strategies. Taxi wraps advertise the taxi and company’s products and services. Taxi interior advertising merchandise and service offers during the taxi ride. Digital taxi advertising has the unique ability to advertise trade promotions, advertise current events, and run short videos to promote special advertising campaigns in real time. 

Types of Taxi Advertising

Exterior Wraps – A taxi wrap is a form of taxi advertising that covers all or most of the taxi exterior. The taxi becomes a mobile advertising billboard that is difficult for pedestrians and cars to not notice.

Rooftop Signs – Ads displayed on the top of taxis, particularly in big cities, is a very common and effective form of advertising.

Interior Ads – Advertisements inside of the taxi, specifically in the back where the passengers of the taxi sit. 

Digital Taxi Screens – A more modern form of taxi advertising is a digital screen that wraps the taxi on the exterior, or advertises on the inside screen where passengers can engage with ads. Digital advertising content can be customized and advertised through videos, or displayed for a few seconds which makes campaigns more interactive.

Best Practices in Taxi Advertising

To help taxi advertising be the most effective it can be, marketers should keep in mind:

Clear Messaging: Since taxis are always on the move, there is a very limited amount of time that a potential consumer can see your advertisement, so it is of the utmost importance that the advertisement gets the brand message across quickly and concisely. The best outcome is achieved by using bold graphics, text that is to the point, and a memorable slogan. 

Creative Design: Eco-friendly and attention grabbing designs are very effective in making advertisements stand out since there is a lot of competition for the attention of advertisers at most urban centers.

Optimization of Design: The most effective advertising is placed where the most taxis tend to always travel. Opaque and busy areas (according to taxi traffic data) are best for effective advertising. 

Advertise across multiple other forms of public marketing: Integration of taxi advertising with other forms of public advertising like bus or subway ads can help optimize the impact of a particular advertising campaign so that it is felt across a larger part of the city.

Measuring Impact: Tracking the effectiveness of advertising in taxis is very important. Including QR codes, specific URLs, and the use of social media can help measure consumer engagement and pre- and post- campaign activity on social media, even relative to other advertising campaigns.

The Role of Taxi Advertising in Modern Transit Marketing

Taxi advertising is a well needed part in marketing campaigns that use transit advertising since they combine mobility, audience reach, accessibility, and variety. Unlike bus and subway advertising, taxis are able to reach smaller, tighter neighborhoods that are often high traffic, and may be overlooked by other forms of public transit advertising. Bus and subway advertising tends to center its focus on high density commuter traffic corridors, but with taxis you can reach neighboring areas that may not have even had a transit advertising campaign in place.

What’s more, taxi advertising can work with the other forms of digital marketing a brand might be utilizing as well. For example, a campaign can direct people to the brand’s social media, website, or app by placing QR codes or short URLs on taxi advertising. Utilizing both offline and online advertising together allows marketing campaigns to be more interactive and provides brands with more tools to gauge ROI.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite the numerous benefits taxi advertising can bring, there are still some hurdles advertisers have to overcome:

Short Exposure Time. People in cars or on the street can only see taxi advertising for a short period of time, meaning the ads have to very simple with bold colors that people can process quickly.

Fleet Limitations. The scale of a campaign’s success is determined by whether or not cheap access to a large and strategically ideal taxi fleet is obtainable.

Regulatory Restrictions. Local guidelines can dictate the content, design, and ad placement on the side of a taxi, meaning brands have to comply with these guidelines so there are no legal issues with timelines on campaign setups.

Conclusion

Taxi advertising is a unique and very effective option within the broader world of transit marketing. The ability to move, be seen by large numbers of people, and be presented in many different ways allows taxi advertising to reach urban populations in ways that other forms of advertising can not. For companies that want to raise brand awareness among local consumers or want to integrate taxi advertising into their digital marketing campaigns, taxis offer a great way to literally keep the message in motion.

Greater integration of advertisement taxis within urban landscapes exemplifies the brand’s quest to market urban advertising services to consumers within the passage of the city at any given time.