Out-of-Home Research · December 21, 2009
NY10: Taxi Entertainment Network – A Unique, “Captive” Medium
By mkiesche
The NY10: Taxi Entertainment Network is a unique out-of-home network that involves the use of video screens in…you guessed it…New York taxis. Edison worked with Clear Channel and NBC Universal last year to test the NY10 payment system, and to investigate passenger advertising recall in NYC taxi cabs. To learn more about NY10, we connected with Vice President and General Manager, Tom Haymond.
According to Haymond, the primary goals of NY10 are “to provide relevant news, entertainment, information and advertising in a captive environment.” 5,400 New York City taxis have screens installed in the backseat playing the NY10 network. Along with the time and updated news, weather and sports headlines, passengers have access to GPS tracking of their taxi trip. News and entertainment content are accompanied by full-motion or animated advertisements. Passengers also have the ability to pay for their taxi ride, including a tip calculator, with a credit or debit card.
In the summer of 2008, Edison conducted a unique study in which pedestrians were approached randomly and asked to take a brief ride in a taxi containing the NY10 video screen. After a simulated taxi fare, they were asked questions about their experience.
According to Haymond, “The high ad recall and the fact that people watch and use the video screens helps assure advertisers they are reaching consumers with this unique, captive medium. The complete measurability of the medium and ability to target by geographic locations further provides assurance that ad dollars are delivering the right message to the right people.”
When Haymond came on as Vice President and General Manager of NY10, he wanted “to develop a powerful passenger program in taxis, one that makes people want to watch and interact, built on an advertising platform to yield powerful, measurable results for advertisers.” Developing a successful taxi network has not come without its issues, however. Dealing with city regulations and bridging the gap between the Out of Home, Broadcast and Digital departments at ad agencies have been challenges. NY10 has been able to overcome those obstacles and has many clients that continue to advertise after their initial campaign, including Hilton, Panasonic and Panama Tourism.
Ideally, the future for Clear Channel and the NY10 network includes expansion to other high-volume taxi markets. We at Edison our proud of our association with this unique out-of-home media channel, and of the innovative research methodology we designed to capture consumer opinions about the service. Want to learn more? Visit our Consumer Exit Polling page, here.
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The NY10: Taxi Entertainment Network is a unique out-of-home network that involves the use of video screens in…you guessed it…New York taxis. Edison worked with Clear Channel and NBC Universal last year to test the NY10 payment system, and to investigate passenger advertising recall in NYC taxi cabs. To learn more about NY10, we connected with Vice President and General Manager, Tom Haymond.
According to Haymond, the primary goals of NY10 are “to provide relevant news, entertainment, information and advertising in a captive environment.” 5,400 New York City taxis have screens installed in the backseat playing the NY10 network. Along with the time and updated news, weather and sports headlines, passengers have access to GPS tracking of their taxi trip. News and entertainment content are accompanied by full-motion or animated advertisements. Passengers also have the ability to pay for their taxi ride, including a tip calculator, with a credit or debit card.
In the summer of 2008, Edison conducted a unique study in which pedestrians were approached randomly and asked to take a brief ride in a taxi containing the NY10 video screen. After a simulated taxi fare, they were asked questions about their experience.
According to Haymond, “The high ad recall and the fact that people watch and use the video screens helps assure advertisers they are reaching consumers with this unique, captive medium. The complete measurability of the medium and ability to target by geographic locations further provides assurance that ad dollars are delivering the right message to the right people.”
When Haymond came on as Vice President and General Manager of NY10, he wanted “to develop a powerful passenger program in taxis, one that makes people want to watch and interact, built on an advertising platform to yield powerful, measurable results for advertisers.” Developing a successful taxi network has not come without its issues, however. Dealing with city regulations and bridging the gap between the Out of Home, Broadcast and Digital departments at ad agencies have been challenges. NY10 has been able to overcome those obstacles and has many clients that continue to advertise after their initial campaign, including Hilton, Panasonic and Panama Tourism.
Ideally, the future for Clear Channel and the NY10 network includes expansion to other high-volume taxi markets. We at Edison our proud of our association with this unique out-of-home media channel, and of the innovative research methodology we designed to capture consumer opinions about the service. Want to learn more? Visit our Consumer Exit Polling page, here.