January 27, 2008 - Oh glory be! I cannot wait until the day I catch a cab
and the cabbie starts promoting some online casino he knows nothing about. First
off, let me explain why I'm bringing this up. I'm not sure if you've heard the
news, but 888 Casino has undertaken a marketing scheme that not only decks out
375 London taxis with their green logo, but now incorporates the cabbies
themselves as spokespersons.
Ten cabbies
will reportedly be giving the marketing pitch, which apparently will be
something of a fishing. The cabbie is supposed to strike up a conversation about
poker or casino gambling, and if the passenger responds the cabbie will bring up
888. If the passenger shows a "particular" interest in what the cabbie is
saying, the cabbie is charged to hand out a $5 signup coupon.
All I can say is I hope the cabbie is
getting a commission. And I also want some clarification on the part about the
passenger responding. So, if the cabbie says, "Hey buddy, how about that
showdown last on the World Poker Tour?", and the passenger responds with "Uh, I
didn't see it", does that mean the cabbie has the green light to go into his
pitch? No big deal, right? I just wanna be the guy who plays dumb then starts
bringing things up about 888, cause let me tell you I know a few things about
888, and most of its not good.
Hey, if 888 wants to pay up a half million
for an advertising campaign, then go right ahead. Apparently, word of mouth
advertising is an actual marketing tactic that advertisers spent nearly $1.5
billion on last year alone. They've done the research, and I suppose a passenger
is more of a captive audience if he or she is alone. With an average cabbie
picking up 40 fares a day and ten cars on the streets, that's not bad. However,
considering the number of uninterested or unreachable passengers if you will, I
would guess a cabbie would be lucky to get the word out to half his fares.
888 says they are already making plans to
double the number of their flagship cabs to twenty and to have as many as 300
talkies on the streets by next year. They also said they will be providing
training to the cabbies. If you ask me, let the cabbies visit the online casino
for themselves and decide for themselves. The best testament is from somebody
who has actual firsthand experience. If I was one of those cabbies, I wouldn't
think twice about promoting a disenchanting 888.