Vancouver’s Moving Media Group has rebranded as Play Taxi Media and will officially launch under its new moniker next month with an advertising campaign for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Play previously operated its network of taxi screen inventory in Vancouver, but has now expanded to include cabs in Calgary and Toronto.
“We got feedback from advertiser who said ‘If you guys can get the company to a national scale, there are some real potential here for what brands can do on the network,’” said Omar Dhalla, executive vice-president of business development for Play Taxi Media.
One of the first advertisers to take advantage of Play’s national offering is MADD, which will launch new taxi-screen ads in the coming weeks. The campaign was designed by Play’s in-house team.
Dhalla said MADD was a logical organization to partner with to help Play introduce its national network.
“It’s a natural fit,” said Dhalla. “We wanted to make sure we had a national platform ready to go before pushing ‘go’ on that.
“(The spots) will essentially say to the ridership, ‘thanks for making the right decision.’ At night, that will be a very timely message and in the daytime it will serve to remind people that a cab is a very viable option, especially if you’re going to go enjoy yourself on the town.”
Play has also partnered with The Weather Network and the CBC to provide content for its screens. Other advertising partners working with Play include Flight Centre and Telus, which will also launch a taxi-screen campaign in the coming weeks.
Dhalla pointed to the Flight Centre campaign as an illustration of the interactive capabilities of Play’s taxi screens. Consumers who see the Flight Centre creative, he said, could engage with it using via the touch screens and, to cite one example, enter their e-mail address to receive more information and offers from the advertiser.
In addition to news and advertising content, Play’s inventory offers cab patrons the opportunity to play interactive games and participate in surveys.
