Taking a London cab has always been something of a safe bet, they hold a far better safety record than their North American counterparts. The traditional design of London’s cabs is recognizable and the welcoming accent of the driver often comforting although usually short on small talk.
This may not be the case the next time you hail a ride at Victoria station. 888.com, one of the world’s most recognizable online gaming brands has advertising with over 350 taxis in Britain’s largest city and is ready to take this particular marketing campaign to a different level. 888.com believes that “word of mouth" advertising, the belief that consumers place more trust in something they hear directly from another person, as opposed to something they learn through the popular media channels, could work very well for their poker brand in particular.
888.com partnered with Taxi Promotions UK and the taxi operators involved are known as “ambassador drivers”. The word of mouth program is over 10 years old, and has seen cab drivers work as informal representatives for many tourist destinations and even some charities.
Asher Moses is the managing director of Taxi Promotions and said that “The average London taxi ride lasts 16 minutes. In a normal day, a driver picks up 40 to 60 fares; multiply that by 10 drivers, for the 888 campaign, and the audience that can be reached is sizable.”
Word of mouth media is not new. PQ Media, a research firm in Stamford, Conn., estimates that marketers in the United States alone spent $1.35 billion on word-of-mouth marketing last year, up 38 percent from a year earlier.
