TaxiForSure uses humour to promote app-based service

The radio cab has launched a TVC to communicate the ease with which a cab can be booked with its app, without much waiting time

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | December 11, 2014

Click on the image to watch the TVC.

TaxiForSure claims to be India's fastest growing aggregator of taxis, and this is the first time a radio taxi brand is launching a 360 brand campaign across India particularly on television. With competition galloping in the radio cabs business, TaxiForSure roped in Lowe Lintas to make the TVC.

The company formally launched its new category of Nano taxis in Bengaluru on December 4, 2014. Given the size of the Nano car and the jam-packed roads, the launch will make travelling in the city easier and convenient.

Co-founders of TaxiForSure, Raghunandan G and Aprameya Radhakrishna, marked the launch of the service by flagging off company-branded Tata Nano cars. The service has been launched with 100 Nanos in Bengaluru and will be expanded to other Indian cities in the coming weeks.

TaxiForSure's Nano cab service will surely be the cheapest because the service will be priced at Rs 25 for the first 2 KM and Rs 10/km after that. The service will be exclusively available on the mobile app and the website under the 'Pick Now' option, which makes a cab available in minutes.

GV Krishnan

GV Krishnan, Executive Director, Lowe Lintas, said, “We are excited to be handling the communication mandate for brand TaxiForSure. For us this campaign matters a lot, especially with all the action in the category and the opportunity to partner a bold and enterprising client.”

Krishnan added, “Our launch campaign for TaxiForSure stems from a simple insight – short commutes are harder than long journeys. The whole experience is so steeped in anxieties; it often affects our mood, emotions and even relationships. The new 'Pick Now' feature from TaxiForSure saves the blushes. This is brought alive in our creative and was wholeheartedly appreciated and endorsed by the client in the first go.”

Speaking at the launch, Raghunandan said, “We are thrilled to announce our new Nano category that offers a great city-driving proposition. The aggressive growth that the taxi industry is seeing requires innovative ways to bring more cars onto the road. Tata Nano is a well-loved consumer brand that is perfectly suited for city travel with its small footprint and zippy commute. It is also light on the pockets of our driver partners, who can now become entrepreneurs much more easily. With a brand-new design, well-trained drivers and an intuitive app experience, our customers will be wowed with the Nano.”

TaxiForSure has identified several anxieties related to availability and timeliness of taxi usage. This campaign addresses them by inducing humour in real-life situations. The TVC aims to make the customer aware of the use of the company's mobile app to book a cab few minutes before taking a ride, than booking one 48 hours before the travel.

The TVC is set in an office. Arpan is done with his work early (well past 10 PM) and is ready to go home. However, he is sceptical about getting a cab at that hour. He is seen asking his friend, who is working at the adjacent desk, for a lift. He keeps poking his friend to get done and leave. Irritated, the friend imagines torturing Arpan by smashing the computer on his head, throwing him around, cooking him in a hot pot and dragging him around office. Just as his friend is giving him the stare, a voice-over comes to his rescue by showing Arpan the TaxiForSure app. The 'Pick Now' option helps him book a taxi instantly, and also, save his friendship.

Arun Iyer

Arun Iyer, National Creative Director, Lowe Lintas, said, “TaxiForSure was a fun project. We feel the concept of 'don't risk your relationships for a taxi' is an insightful take on the category. Coming to the particular film, this sort of behaviour is prevalent in offices. And we thought it will connect with everybody. Vishwesh from Corcoise has done a great job of the execution.”

Talking about the new TVC, Radhakrishna said, “We have clocked 3.5 million bookings and are present in 18 cities. Our customers have given us positive feedback on the pricing, service levels and reliability of TaxiForSure. This gave us the confidence to raise awareness about our services, so that a lot more people can enjoy them.”

The TVC went on air from December 5, across Hindi movies, music, lifestyle, business and news channels. It will also be showcased across television channels such as Star, Zee, Viacom, Sun and UTV. Over the next two months, the campaign will be extended to OOH, print, radio and online.

However, we are not sure whether the TVC will be pulled off-air following the furore and public outrage over the rape incident in Delhi in a cab operated by the app-based Uber.

The TVC:

https://img-cdn.thepublive.com/filters:format(webp)/

Credits:

Creative Agency: Lowe Lintas

Chief Creative Officer: R Balki

National Creative Director: Arun Iyer

Executive Creative Director: Rajesh Ramaswamy

Creative Art: Prasad Baggi, Charan Kumar

Creative - Copy: Kishore Mohandas, Arpan Bhattacharyya, Devika Srivastava

Business: GVK Krishnan, Anand Narayan, Leena Pirgal

Production house: Corcoise Films

Director: Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com