The ultimate experience - Taxis and Festivals
Rockstar have used Taxis to promote Creamfields Music Festival
Summer offers an exciting schedule of music festivals, food festivals, and cultural events. They’re more than just an occasion for revellers to let their hair down, however. They’re also an opportunity to capture the attention of a desirable audience that engages thoughtfully with the advertising that they see.
It’s clear that audiences to have a meaningful connection with the brands they use every day. It makes sense too, as younger audiences make it clear that they want branded experiences driven by values.
So, how can brands connect with this engaged audience? There’s a Taxi-shaped OOH solution that can offer some lessons to potential advertisers.
Build contextual relevance and local connection
According to Live Nation research, 80% of fans say attending a concert, festival or gig, is one of the most emotionally powerful experiences they get to have. The Live Nation data suggests that audiences are viewing festivals and live events as more than just an artist or band on stage. Audiences are expecting these events to make them feel something. It’s for this reason that brands would benefit from creating campaigns that speak to the whole experience.
The London Taxi is an enticing proposition for advertisers targeting these huge events because they’re viewed as trustworthy by audiences. This is necessary for brands hoping to impress their relevance on audiences. Further, it uses its creativity to make campaigns memorable. The Ubiquitous team are reminded of the PR activity for Holy Moly, the dips and snack brand that put a mariachi band in the back of a branded Taxi to celebrate their partnership with food festival Taste London. Holy Moly proved that brands are memorable when their campaign activity creates emotionally powerful moments. Amusement and playfulness are two emotions that the London Taxi evokes thanks to its unique shape. The added surprise of seeing a mariachi band in the back of a Taxi is enough to snap us out of the mundanity of our routines and make the memories stick. Brands like Holy Moly are rewarded with loyalty and connection thanks to the effort they put into creating a contextually relevant campaign.
Connect with audiences before they arrive
Music festivals and the hype around them begin long before the audiences have stepped foot inside. The preparation includes deliberate decisions like finding outfits, picking accommodation, and organising travel. In the same vein, we must consider that audiences will commute to festivals (like Glastonbury or Creamfields) with the potential to engage with the advertising they see on the way. Live Nation research explains why brands should take these touchpoints seriously. They found that shopping is a key part of the fan experience, with nearly 9 in 10 fans worldwide buying in person before or after a live music event. If we think about the activities we mentioned before, like picking out outfits and accommodation, there are plenty of opportunities for OOH advertisers to connect with audiences.
Ubiquitous offers a clever solution for brands hoping to target festivalgoers. After all, it’s the various touchpoints available at festivals (like entrance archways and signage at bars or merchandise stalls) that create the incremental moments that leave an impression in the minds of audiences. It’s the combination of these branded touchpoints all together that creates the frequency that builds brand fame and recognition. If we think about the London Taxi and the thousands of trips it makes through central locations every day, your audience is viewing the creative multiple times. Taxi Advertising and music festivals have a fruitful history. The Ubiquitous team points to the example of Rockstar and their activity around Creamfields festival in 2024. As you can see from the attached creative, it carried the campaign messaging across different formats, building on the excitement of the festival while engaging with festivalgoers commuting to the festival.
Reach highly engaged festival audiences
Talon research tells us that OOH is especially effective at reaching 16-34s, outperforming social media and functional internet use. The London Taxi is a clever choice for brands hoping to engage with younger audiences, especially as these younger audiences have made it clear that they want meaningful experiences from the brands they engage with.
Ubiquitous and the London Marathon in 2026 saw plenty of brands deliver engaging brand experiences that appealed to audiences. Hoka, for example, used Taxis in the lead-up to the London Marathon to showcase outside a special Hoka pop-up store and headquarters in Shoreditch. On the day of the London Marathon, the Hoka Taxis offered free coconut water and free rides to marathon runners. This was more than a simple exercise in brand promotion: Hoka used the excitement of the London Marathon to make a connection between their planned PR activities and the event itself. There are more reasons why it pays to choose Taxi Advertising when planning to make an impression in the minds of audiences. Taxi audiences are discerning after all – they expect advertisements to entertain and inspire. For access to an engaged audience, and an advertising format that gets the tick of approval from that same audience, Taxis are a savvy solution.
A final thought.
Festivals offer audiences an opportunity to connect, engage, and socialise with their chosen communities. It’s for this reason that brands would be wise not to push these boundaries with invasive campaign messaging. Instead, the UK’s leading Taxi Advertiser can recommend an approach that listens to what audiences want, and acts accordingly:
Take the opportunity to connect with audiences before the festival,
To engage meaningfully with festivalgoers in the moments that matter,
And build authentic cultural connections through relevance.
Taking the above steps into account is a great start for brands who are intent on targeting audiences around live events like festivals. However, when it comes to choosing the formats to dress your campaign, Ubiquitous can recommend an OOH advertising format with impressive reach and a storied history of delivering results.