Smartphones are a lifeline for the 21st century, enabling people to be connected and available 24/7.  Advances in technology and functionality have made them a must-have item, prompting an expectation that colleagues and friends will be accessible and keeping tabs on their affairs as they dash through their busy day.

Being en route to another engagement is no longer an excuse to be offline and unreachable, especially in the UK’s capital city, London – a city that truly never sleeps in its bid to maintain its authoritative position on the world business stage.   

For both comfort and privacy, the transport mode of choice for many professionals is the black taxi; the journey time presenting the perfect opportunity to catch up on their smartphones. The average taxi ride is 17 minutes – a unique moment in a busy day to have a little time to yourself.

Research that we’ve carried out found that 84 per cent of black taxi passengers will check emails on their handset during a journey; 60 per cent will check Facebook, and 60 per cent will surf the web. These numbers are fairly high, and would in fact be higher, if black taxis provided the means to charge your phone or access the internet for free. With this time being so productively spent by passengers, it’s an added stress when connection drops out or batteries run dry.

Ad-funded wi-fi
Following Transport for London’s approval of plans to install advertising-funded wi-fi in black cabs in 2013, passengers are on the brink of being able to enjoy a quick and reliable internet connection as they make their way around town. This is not only good news for leisure and business passengers, but also presents mobile and technology brands with the opportunity to build a reputation for providing an invaluable service to customers for free.

There are a few outstanding examples of brands implementing in-taxi marketing initiatives aimed at smartphone consumers; the most notable of which is Vodafone, which has installed free phone chargers in 800 branded London taxis. Research has demonstrated that some 93 per cent of passengers said they would look to hail down a taxi that offered such a service, positioning Vodafone as a brand that cares about the needs of busy Londoners.

Having also found that 79 per cent of taxi users are more likely to hail a cab that offered free wi-fi, we believe there is a similar opportunity for other mobile or technology brands to offer this highly valued service to passengers who simply want a quick and efficient wi-fi connection to be available as soon as the meter starts running.

The beauty of a brand-sponsored in-cab wi-fi connection is that it offers a positive means of engaging with passengers in a way that has never been achieved before in a taxi. Right now, the only means of delivering moving content is via traditional digital screens, but we know that these are often annoying to passengers and especially to drivers, who will often turn off the screen because of the continuous noise. 

Content choice
The idea of branded wi-fi appeals so strongly because our research tells us that taxi passengers want interaction and a choice of content. In-taxi wi-fi not only enables passengers to use their smartphone to access emails or surf the web, but also delivers the opportunity for the sponsoring brand to create a mobile friendly ‘hub’, offering passengers the choice to further interact, by exploring relevant and engaging content, creating that all important two-way brand dialogue. With a screen in every pocket, the days of old style in-taxi TV screens that offer one-way or irrelevant content, are numbered.

In terms of the quick-reward, our research into passenger use of QR codes and NFC as a means to accessing vouchers or offers demonstrated that over 64 per cent of smartphone users in taxis would be happy to use QR codes to receive offers or vouchers, while 65 per cent agree that NFC is a great way to find out more about brands ‘on the go’.  Advertisers are already extensively using QR across all types of media, and for the first time ever, in March 2013, 225 of our London taxis will be live with NFC tags in the passenger compartments, in the first trial of its kind permitted by TfL.

What’s more, taxi advertising is an outdoor format that truly works hard to spread a brand’s message around town, so why not harness the power of technology that’s in almost every pocket by providing taxi passengers with further beneficial and interactive smartphone opportunities?

Wireless internet has been part and parcel of accessing the web at home for some time now, but London is rapidly becoming a city where it’s possible to gain a free network connection pretty much anywhere, even across parts of the London Underground. The installation of free wi-fi into black taxis in 2013 is certainly a step in the right direction to creating a 24/7 switched-on city that keeps people connected even when they’re on the move. It’s a win-win situation: a win for the consumers who increasingly rely on the internet to go about both their working and their private lives, and a win for the brand that takes the credit for bringing the service to life.         
 

Andrew Barnett is managing director of Ubiquitous