13cabs is targeting YouTube users searching for popular music artists with a series of bumper ads featuring its character, Serge.
Taking advantage of YouTube's recently launched Director's Mix advertising technology, Thinkerbell, GMG and The Sensory have collaborated on a hyper-targeted campaign for 13cabs.
The campaign raises the issue of surge pricing with a series of comedic ads to alert viewers of the brand's 'no surge pricing' policy.
A series of ads have been created with a younger version of the company's long-time lead character, Serge.
The 15-second episodes will be sequentially released for audiences to follow this character on his mission to become Australia's most beloved cab driver. The ads then encourage the viewer to ride with Serge, not surge pricing.
“In line with the recent 13cabs re-brand, we wanted to represent a fresher, younger Serge with an eagerness to please his passengers, whilst deliver on our promise that the only surge you'll get with 13cabs, is Serge driving,” Thinkerbell co-founder Jim Ingram says.
Additional bumper ads speak directly to the audience with targeted six-second messages based on viewer preferences. The ads will also utilise YouTube's latest advertising technology, Director's Mix, the latest launch by YouTube that gives viewers a vertical viewing platform for advertisements, offering more creative liberty to agencies.
“We're on a journey to modernise the 13cab brand and give people more reasons to choose 13cabs over other rideshare options by demonstrating a core point of different,” 13cabs head of marketing Liz Attia says.
“Working with YouTube to support their new platform has given us the opportunity to demonstrate the advantages of having Serge driving, rather than surge pricing.”
The ads will span across YouTube with individualised messages based on particular search terms and trending topics.
The work follows on from Thinkerbell's first campaign for the brand in July, which introduced the idea of Surge as a character.
