Hailo, the app-based taxi service now operating in Toronto, has launched its first paid out of home campaign featuring more than 100 large format billboards and transit shelter posters, as well as indoor murals in more than 50 downtown bars and restaurants.
Copy on the ads include “You had me at Hailo,” “The Taxi Magnet,” and “Like a Bat Signal for Toronto Taxis.”
The app is available on both iPhone and Android smartphones, and utilizes GPS technology to connect users to the nearest available Hailo taxi. The driver’s name, cab number and location are provided to the customer, along with a message letting them know when their taxi has arrived. Transactions are processed via an on-file credit card so no cash is required, and a detailed receipt is instantly emailed to the passenger upon completion of their ride.
Hailo Canada president Justin Raymond said the campaign was designed to build on the buzz started on Hailo’s launch in September 2012. The free app has since been downloaded by approximately 50,000 Torontonians and about 1,200 of the city’s cab drivers use the service.
“The goal [of the campaign] is to make people see it’s an amazing service they should try. Taxi cabs touch everyone in the city, directly or indirectly.”
Hailo’s core demographic is 18-35 year olds, but the campaign is intended to target all “frequent cab users, downtown Toronto residents, and those who empower new technology,” Raymond said.
Hailo worked with its AOR, Rothco, on creative for the campaign. The media buy was handled by Starcom MediaVest, and is slated to run until the end of June.
The company plans to bring its service to several other Canadian markets in the near future, Raymond said.
Halio was founded two years ago in London, England by a group of taxi drivers and internet entrepreneurs looking to modernize a centuries-old industry. Since then, it has expanded to a number of cities including Dublin, New York, and Chicago.
