Hiyacar, a revolutionary app-based platform which lets car owners rent out their vehicles when they aren’t using them, hitched a ride with experiential and face-to-face marketing experts StreetPR for its Streatham launch.
StreetPR, part of Crowdify Global, provided a team of brand ambassadors who blitzed London’s Streatham, handing out leaflets to owners looking to raise some extra cash from their cars and drivers looking for a cheaper – and potentially more interesting – set of wheels for a short time hire.
Streatham was chosen by Hiyacar as the next London postcode for its three-year old service as it delivers a perfect match with the target audience of potential renters, as well as a good range of car owners with a variety of cars.
“Streathamites are savvy consumers, and a lot of them will be attracted by our competitive pricing, the chance to drive something a little bit different and the fact that every Hiyacar driven away can take up to 11 vehicles off the UK’s roads,” says Graeme Risby, co-founder and CEO of Hiyacar. “Face-to-face marketing is a really effective way of engaging both with our target rental audience and also with the car owners we want to sign up.”
Dorian Payne, Client Services Director at StreetPR, says: “It’s been a brilliant campaign to work on, and a great example of how new technology and new business practices are revolutionising the delivery of consumer services – and allowing people to liberate some of the cash tied up in the things they own. The response from the people of Streatham was unbelievable.”
The Hiyacar platform means people can hire cars for less than traditional car rental firms or car clubs.
StreetPR’s teams of brand ambassadors covered local stations and transport hubs, high streets and farmers markets, plus festive events like the Christmas lights switch on and local carol concerts. They handed out leaflets and explained the concept to renters and owners alike, answering people’s questions about insurance, picking up and dropping off cars, excess charges and the revolutionary keyless technology which turns renters’ mobile phones into virtual key fobs.
The coded flyers also allowed Hiyacar to measure how many people took advantage of the offer and analyse results by location and time of day, which can help the company better refine its communications targeting.
Hiyacar is already in discussions with StreetPR about a doordrop and face-to-face campaign in the next target suburb, Camden.
StreetPR has considerable experience of running face-to-face engagement campaigns, many of which have targeted a young, urban, tech-literate and socially-conscious audience of millennials and generation Z consumers. Other clients include online services providers such as Deliveroo, Gousto, UberEats, Hello Fresh, Hassle and ride sharing company, ViaVan.
