Transportation apps are catching on like wildfire. Hailo, Taxi Magic, and Uber have become household names in the markets they serve.
Uber has been front and center with some great promotions, delivering everything from cats, to Christmas trees to ice cream. They’ve equally made headlines by price gauging, something that Uber CEO Travis Kalanick rigorously defends because price gauging, during blizzards and popular events insures that there are more drivers on the street.
Hail-O a London based competitor has expanded to the United States and serves customers with a taxi hailing app. Taxi Magic is an app utilized by various taxicab companies across the country and allows those cabs to dispatch via app.
This holiday season these app companies are teaming up with the major alcohol companies to be responsible while celebrating. For years alcohol companies have put posters up in bars and restaurants and even done promotions where they would pay for an establishment to offer free cab rides for customers. This year, through the use of mobile apps, these promotions are easier, and now customers have control right in the palm of their hands. It’s a great service for the bars and restaurants but now they don’t have to keep up with it.
AdAge reports that MillerCoors is teaming up with Hail-O to give away $3 million worth of cab rides in Chicago, Boston, and New York from Dec 2 through Jan 5th which will sure be a huge hit come New Years Eve.
Uber has teamed up with Ciro Vodka to give away free $25 coupons which can be redeemed after New Years. Ciroc founder Sean “Diddy” Combs, will tweet a special message on New Years Day which will activate the promotion. Uber is also partnering with Tequilla maker Patron Spirits for a $10 coupon and the company says they have more promotions in the works.
Taxi Magic has teamed up with Heineken USA’s Newcastle Brown Ale that’s doing a limited edition line extension called “Newcastle Cabbie Black Ale”. Signage and promotional material for the brand will include a $5 coupon code for Taxi Magic.
“We wanted to get across a responsible consumption message,” Quinn Kilbury, Newcastle brand director told AdAge. “But we wanted to do it in a way that was consistent with our brand’s tone … and in a very entertaining fashion that also could sell some beer.”