If Everyone Jumped: Sweet Taxi Marketing

Cliché: Taxis smell like cigarettes and urine. London’s answer: Perfume-scented black cabs presented by Penhaligon’s.

Last week, the luxury fragrance house sent five perfumed taxi cabs out into central London to serve patrons the same way any other London black taxi would with a few exceptions. Each cab smells like either the brand’s Artemisia, Blenheim Bouquet, Endymion, Malabah or Orange Blossom perfume, and each one’s driver is specially trained to discuss Penhaligon’s fragrances and answer any questions about the brand. Passengers will receive a 10 percent voucher for purchases at penhaligons.com and in Penhaligon’s boutiques at the conclusion of their ride. {InStyle UK}

Londoners will easily be able to spot the cabs’ outer Penhaligon’s branding, and the cost of each trip will run the same as any regular black cab ride. {London Beauty Review} Anyone who spies a Penhaligon’s cab but doesn’t take a trip in it can still participate in the promotion by snapping a picture of the car and posting it to their Facebook page with Penhaligon’s tagged for a chance to win a 100ml fragrance of choice. {Fashion Foie Gras}

Penhaligon’s is not the first company to embrace the taxi as a marketing tool. Last month, Revlon offered Londoners who photographed the turquoise taxi they sent around the city and tagged Revlon in the picture on Facebook a chance to try the brand’s latest mascara before it hit shelves. {London Beauty Review} In addition, Fashion Foie Gras says tons of major retail outlets have used the taxi cab in one promotional form or another.

We wonder just who it was that was sitting at their cubicle one day and thought “taxis! That’s how to sell products.” In this economy, we suppose it’s smart to get creative with promotions, and the incorporation of Facebook is a good move. We wonder, though, what may be the result if a passenger who is allergic to perfumes steps into one of Penhaligon’s cabs unknowingly. Comment and let us know if you think cab marketing is a good idea!






The Latest