Melbourne 2006 Taxi Campaign

The Friendly Games

Known originally as The British Empire Games, the first Commonwealth Games was hosted by Ontario, Canada in 1930. Back then, 400 athletes from eleven countries took part. Apart from interruptions during the Second World War, the Games take place every four years. Sixteen Games have been held so far, three of which have been in Australia - Sydney 1938, Perth 1962 and Brisbane 1982. In 2006 it will be the turn of Melbourne.

Melbourne 2006

On 22 November 2004, the Victoria Government will hold a VIP reception to celebrate Melbourne 2006 at Australia House in London. To support the event and add a colourful accent to the proceedings, the entire Commonwealth Games promotional taxi fleet will converge on Australia House. This will be the first of many opportunities to deploy the taxi advertising campaign en masse, allowing the taxis to add an extra dimension to M2006 promotions.

The initial Commonwealth Games taxi advertising campaign will consist of:

■ 25 full livery taxis
■ Ambassador Drivers
■ 50 SuperSide taxis
■ Tip-Up Seat Panels
■ Branded Receipts

Next year, the fleet will be refreshed and the intensity increased as the Games draw nearer. An extra 100 SuperSide taxis, tip-up seat panels and more branded receipts will be added.

Brand News

Like countless UK consumers, Claire Golding, Regional Manager of Tourism Victoria, had seen many high-profile travel brands advertising on licensed Taxi Promotions UK taxis. Greece had promoted the Athens Olympics, and many other travel brands have used taxi advertising campaigns during 2004:
■Barbados ■ Continental Airlines & eBookers
■ Florida ■ Georgia
■ Las Vegas ■ Memphis
■ New York ■ Phuket Air
■ Radisson SAS Hotels ■ St Kitts
■ Toronto ■ Tradewinds
■ Turin ■ Virgin Experience
The initial enquiry from Tourism Victoria came via the Taxi Promotions UK website. We presented our credentials, taxi advertising campaign performance statistics and described a range of ad formats. The presentation convinced Claire Golding that taxis had a role to play in the M2006 campaign.

Campaign Forecasts

Taxi Promotions UK then developed a taxi advertisingcampaign that addressed a range of challenging objectives, including the need to increase profile as the Games grew nearer. The finished proposal was delivered to Claire, and subsequently forwarded to the State Tourist Board and M2006 in Australia.
All stakeholders had to be sure that minimum levels of awareness could be achieved in London. To illustrate the power of taxi advertising, we researched the scope of two Taxi Promotions UK campaigns. Case studies and forecasts confirmed that the proposed formula would deliver:

Illustration A
Fleet ..............................................25 vehicles
Format ............................................Full Livery
Duration ..........................................12 months
Audience ........................................15,000,000
Average OTS (Opportunity To See).................31
Coverage ..................................................90%

Illustration B
Fleet ..............................................50 vehicles
Format ............................................SuperSide
Duration ............................................3 months
Audience ........................................10,200,000
Average OTS................................................18
Coverage ..................................................80%

Production Logistics

Although the Games don't start until 2006, the taxi advertising campaign had to be rolled-out quickly. Site availability was no problem, so creative became the next highest priority. Production templates were sent to a London agency. They worked closely with Tourism Victoria and M2006 designers to create a visual that would gain approval from all of the stakeholders.

As soon as the creative was signed-off, Taxi Promotions UK submitted the design to Transport for London (TfL). The Police and The Public Carriage Office who regulate licensed taxis, and there is a detailed approval process that must be meticulously observed before taxi adverts can take to the road. An official Certificate of Display is issued and a photographic record is kept of every vehicle.

With an agreed final design, the production process could swing into action, with the fleet operators, drivers, vehicle sprayers, vinyl printers and fitters all playing their part. We had ten days to produce and apply all the graphics for the entire fleet. We took just seven.

As the first taxi rolled off the production line, Asher Moses took it straight to Claire Golding for inspection(above). It was a cold, wet afternoon, but the colourful taxi raised everyone's spirits. Within minutes of parking, pedestrians stopped to admire the first Melbourne 2006 taxi. Some appreciative tourists even took pictures, confirming that the taxi advertising campaign was on course to heighten awareness and stimulate real interest in M2006.

The Twelve Apostles

The Commonwealth Games provide Victoria with a fantastic opportunity to promote the destination to a global audience. But how can the most powerful proposition be communicated on a taxi? Whilst exploring possible creative themes with the Tourism Victoria and M2006 design teams, the creative agency were struck by Victoria's natural splendor. Amongst the most dramatic coastal attractions are The Twelve Apostles - giant rock stacks that rise majestically from the sea.

The Twelve Apostles were carved by the forces of nature. The stormy ocean gradually eroded the cliffs, forming caves. These eventually became arches and collapsed, leaving massive rock stacks. The studio selected images, and text and graphics were added to complete the colourful, eye-catching taxi livery design.

Model taxis

Inspired by the taxi graphics, Taxi Promotions UK suggested the production of miniature M2006 taxi models. They will be used as promotional, commercial and PR tools, and will be used tactically during the campaign. As a strictly limited edition, the models are expected to become collectors pieces and prized possessions amongst those fortunate enough to receive one.

Mobile Ambassadors

With such powerful graphics for the outside of the taxis, we also looked at ways of communicating the message to passengers inside the cab. Taxi drivers are seldom lost for words. For Tourism Victoria, we arranged for them to learn about the destination so they can engage passengers in conversation and reinforce the taxi advertising campaign message when it goes live. The drivers have been thoroughly briefed by Tourism Victoria, and this will be followed up with familiarisation trips for them and their partners between now and January. The drivers will be given an opportunity to experience many of the local attractions for themselves in an action-packed and fun-filled itinerary.

No margin for error!

Claire Golding admits literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Victoria to host a Commonwealth Games. There's no margin for error so every strand of the taxi advertising campaign has to work. Like the Melbourne Games themselves, our taxis are winners and I can't wait to see them in action

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