Your client riding about in a pedicab

No longer just novelty vehicles seen at the beach

By Kevin Downey
Jun 1, 2009

One of the appeals of out-of-home advertising generally, as opposed to what takes place in the living room, is that it connects with consumers when they're already out, whether it's a McDonald's billboard pointing to a restaurant a mile down the road or an ad for shampoo on a parking bumper in front of a convenience store.

The consumer is that much closer to an impulse purchase.

And in that regard, among the most effective forms of outdoor advertising is on pedicabs, bikes that tow around passengers that are increasing seen near concerts and ballgames, as well as on resort boardwalks and at events like Fashion Week in New York, when crowds of fashionistas descend on the city to see the latest work of top designers and take in New York's sights.

Pedicab are in effect mobile billboards, often promoting local restaurants and entertainment, and what makes them so effective is that they seek out the crowds, rather waiting to be seen. They go where the people are.

To get your client’s message on pedicabs, read on.

This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts

What
Ads on pedicabs, which are bicycles with seating behind for passengers.

How it works
Though there are pedicab operators with fleets in cities around the country, enabling advertisers to reach dozens of markets with one buy, most are mom-and-pop businesses with fewer than a dozen vehicles serving just one market. Media buyers need to check what's available in the markets they need to reach.

For this article, Media Life looked at Easy Living Pedicabs of Decatur, Ga., GoPedicab from GoGorilla Media, and Main Street Pedicabs.

The pedicabs transport people to and from events, often for free.

The pedicabs are covered in ads, including on the back panel of the pedicab or wrapped around the cab. Some pedicabs have canopies that can be used for advertising and some haul around billboard-type signs.

In some cases, the driver sports a T-shirts also covered in ads, and drivers can also serve as pitchmen for the advertisers.

That's particularly effective when the advertiser is a local restaurant, and the passengers are in from out of town and are looking for a place to eat or enjoy a cocktail.

Typically, advertisers pay a flat rate per pedicab for a certain period of time, whether for a week or a full year. Tailored campaigns, such as transporting conventioneers to a convention center, are sometimes priced by the hour.

Markets
Pedicabs over the past two decades have popped up in just about every city where locals and tourists gather in numbers.

Numbers
Media buyers shouldn’t expect to hear concrete figures for audience exposure when speaking with pedicab operators. So much depends on the event and the number of cabs that are used.

How it is measured
Pedicab campaigns aren’t measured. Most media buys are made simply because pedicabs can get an advertiser’s message close to targeted consumers, whether it's women attending a fashion event or men coming out of a Denver Broncos game.

What product categories do well
Pedicab ads are about as localized as advertising gets, with restaurants, nightclubs and coffee shops the most frequent advertisers. But national beer and soft drink brands and retailers also use pedicabs.

Demographics
The profile of consumers exposed to ads reflects the venue and event the pedicab is sent to.

Making the buy
Easy Living Pedicabs in Decatur, Ga., covers its pedicabs with ads, including the option to have the driver tout a specific advertiser, for a few hundred dollars per event.

GoPedicab from GoGorilla Media tailors its campaigns to the needs of specific advertisers, such as Starbucks, with GoPedicab drivers in Los Angeles taking passengers to Starbucks stores. Pricing depends on the campaign.

Main Street Pedicabs has hundreds of pedicabs in dozens of cities around the country, including in Denver and New York City. Typically, most media buys are booked for a month for a few hundred dollars per pedicab.

Who’s already using pedicabs
A slew of advertisers have advertised on pedicabs, including national brands like Coors, Nike and Kate Spade. But the most frequent advertisers are local restaurants and bars.

What they’re saying
“The drivers are riding the pedicabs to make money, so they will always position themselves where people are. It’s like a billboard with a homing device that’s always seeking out people.”-- Steve Meyer, founder of Main Street Pedicabs.