Yep. But just for one day because according to agency, Guns or Knives, “It’s our [Hailo’s] 3rd birthday, so we’ll do what we want to.”
Hailo is a taxi company in Ireland [fantastic brand name, by the way: ed].
It turned three on August 6, so its creative agency, Guns or Knives, threw it a celebration that would make Dublin take notice (and most likely, the whole world when the video goes viral).
At 11am, Hailo launched the first phase of the latest campaign, The Three Year-Old Taxi Driver, a hidden-camera stunt in which a 3 year old goes to work as a Hailo taxi driver.
The 90 second film – of some shocked, confused and/or amused Dubliners – was then released online across Twitter, Youtube and Facebook.
Guns or Knives art director, Dave Kee, explained the idea, “Our starting point really came from the initial idea, what if a three year old brand took on a three year old’s behaviour? What would the outcome of this look like and what would be the most impactful way we could demonstrate this?”
The campaign’s job is to celebrate the company’s third birthday but also to reward loyal customers. The second phase of the campaign will include an online draw allowing customers who had travelled under 1000km to win their exact kilometre mileage in Hailo credit; and, for those who have travelled further, there is the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to a mystery location at a distance equal to their Hailo mileage.
The Three Year-Old Taxi Driver follows in the wake of successful sibling, The Heterophobic Taxi Driver, created by Guns or Knives for Hailo in the lead up to the Irish Referendum on Same Sex Marriage. In a bid to drum up voting support, Hailo released the earlier hidden camera film to promote its free taxi rides to polling stations.
Kee commented, “Working with Hailo has been incredible. They are always open to brave new ideas, which in itself is a very rewarding experience during the conception phase. Their openness drives us to constantly push the boat out creatively, inspiring bold and engaging ideas. We were lucky enough to get to work with them on their campaign for marriage equality. The opportunity to affect positive social change really is a dream brief for any creative agency.”
Guns or Knives creative director, Kevin Keenan, added, “The aim of the film was literally to turn heads on the street – capturing the reactions of passengers and pedestrians. This marketing initiative [phase 2] was the perfect platform to demonstrate to faithful customers just how far they’d come with Hailo in the three years since it has launched.”
Creative credits:
Advertising Agency: Guns or Knives
Creative director: Kevin Keenan
Art director: David Kee
Copywriters: Shane Brennan & John McMahon
Agency producer: Claire O’Doherty & Al Byrnes
PR: Thinkhouse
Production company: RAIC Productions
Producer: Dave Davin
Director: Stu Teehan
