Updating a quintessential New York behavior

Uber was killing cabs in New York City.

Hailo works a lot like Uber, but for hailing cabs instead of private cars. 
They wanted to launch in NYC. With about 1/100,000th of Uber's ad budget.

Problem

We still wanted New Yorkers to hail cabs, just not how they were used to. So how do we show New Yorkers that hailing a cab is easier than ever?

Insight

New Yorkers love convenience, and lifting a thumb is a heck of a lot easier than lifting a hand.

Solution

Make a splash by disrupting New Yorkers in the exact moment that mattered most, hailing a cab, to prove that Hailo is the easiest way to hail, hands down.

Results

After the campaign, app downloads and ride usage increased steadily.

But turns out, it's really difficult to compete with Uber when you have such small budgets. Hailo ended up leaving the US market completely and focusing overseas. But in the meantime, our campaign appeared in New York blogs, websites and newspapers. Our work was even featured on NPR's Morning Edition.

*I was the strategist, creative and film producer on this campaign. I also directed (and acted in) the commercial. I worked directly with the client to make this campaign a reality.