Media sales and marketing company Brand New Media has teamed up with in-taxi ad company Interactive Taxi Vision (iTV) as part of moves to step up the marketing of the medium to advertisers ahead of taking it national.
BNM managing director Perry Smith said that since the medium was launched in the Brisbane market in October last year 25 advertisers had used it to market their products and services.
“Our aim in 2005 is to take the medium to a national platform and create a perfect interactive call to action marketing strategy for advertisers,” Smith said.
“iTV is an ideal medium for marketers, commuters are receptive to the content, and have a unique ability to view the advertisement then receive the offer/voucher of information via a printed docket.”
Under the iTV system advertising and news content is transmitted via Optus’ wireless GPRS network, allowing the advertising content on the iTV screens to be refreshed and updated ‘over the air’ while the taxi is on the road.
Managing director of the Brisbane-based company Interactive Advertising which developed iTV, Andrew Pollard, said BNM would be assisting in the marketing of the iTV medium to both national and local advertisers.
ITV was initially launched in 100 iTV equipped Yellow Cab taxis in Brisbane. Yellow Cabs managing director, Neill Ford, said the company planned to convert its entire fleet of 1000 cabs within south-east Queensland to iTV “in a short period of time” following the success of the initial trial.
It’s area that has seen activity hotting up this year with iTV competitor Touch Taxi also racing to take its in taxi ad offering national as well.
Touch Taxi is currently running a trial of the technology in Melbourne but is planning to soon roll out to other markets. In October last year, the company fitted 40 of its touch-screen units on the back of passenger headrests in Melbourne’s Silvertop taxis, and it predicts that they will be fitted in 500 silver-service taxis around Australia throughout the year.
