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City of Newark aims to rake in tourism via multichannel marketing campaign

The city of Newark, NJ is launching a marketing campaign this week that lets consumers make cab reservations via their handsets and supports the Ironbound Business Investment District.

The Ironbound Business Investment District is working with a program called Pound Taxi that lets consumers dial a phone number to make a cab reservation. Single Touch Systems and Cellwand Communications are working together on this initiative.

?I think people always do what is most convenient, sometimes it is flagging a cab or using an app,? said Michael Sachter, vice president of marketing at CellWand Communications, Toronto.
 
?Pound Taxi is in every city in the United States,? he said.

?We give an independent rating and have the broadest availability to call a cab.?

Mobile promotion
Consumers can dial #TAXI or #8294 to connect with a local taxi dispatcher.

The service works with all carriers, and consumers are charged between $1.50 - $1.79 for using the service. The amount is billed through their carrier?s account.

Revenues from this charge are split between the carriers, Single Touch and CellWand.

Pound Taxi is a sponsor of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which is included in the marketing collateral.

The campaign includes out-of-home, print and materials inside bars and restaurants such as napkins, coasters and door clings.

Print ads for the campaign will run in the next two issues of Newark Bound magazine, which will be published in August and January.


Once a consumer makes a reservation they are sent an SMS message with the cab company?s contact information.

Additionally, consumers within 20 miles of the Ironbound area are sent a message that asks them to opt-in to future marketing from restaurants and stores in the area.

With next year?s Super Bowl scheduled to take place at Newark?s Prudential Center, the marketing campaign is meant to help increase tourism and local commerce.

?We feel like the time is right to bring it to this market, and I saw an opportunity to help,? said James Orsini, CEO/president of Single Touch Systems, Jersey City, NJ.

?When this campaign is over, the business development district will have a database of numbers of consumers that are interested in receiving offers,? he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York