Fast Facts

What
   Ads displayed on pedal cabs traveling through high-traffic areas in urban markets.

Who
   There are numerous pedal cab companies on both coasts and in between, including multiple vendors in some markets. For this article, Media Life spoke with Manhattan Rickshaw in New York City, Pedaltek in Phoenix, Easy Living Pedicabs in Green Bay, Wis., Rose Pedals in Portland, Ore., Main Street Pedicabs in Denver, Desert Passage in Las Vegas, Silver State Pedicabs in Las Vegas, and Gas Lamp Pedicabs in San Diego.

How it works
   Ads are placed on the exterior of pedal cabs ferrying passengers on short taxi runs or at special events like conventions and weddings. Pedal cabs are referred to generically as pedicabs.
   There are several areas on the pedal cab's surface that advertising is affixed to, including the sides, back, chain cover, canopy, front footboard and roll bar. Some companies sell ad space on tags dangling from the driver’s seat and others sell total wraps.
   How the ad space is used varies between markets, with most focusing on branding but several also offering promotions.
   Average ride length varies by market, but it is shorter than the traditional taxi ride. In New York rides range from 10 to 20 minutes, says Peter Meitzler of Manhattan Rickshaw.
   In addition to providing an alternate taxi service, pedicabs circulate at sports events, festivals and other places where people gather. Additionally, they are popular rentals for transporting wedding guests and conference or trade show participants between locations and for historic tours.
   Markets often shape pedicab routes. For example, Manhattan Rickshaw operates pedicabs in midtown and downtown, Meitzler says, and they can often be seen around the Empire State Building, Times Square, SoHo and Greenwich Village.
   In Green Bay, advertisers can purchase signage for the Packers season. Companies can hire pedicabs to transport attendees to a conference staging area and afterward to dinner.
   Special events range from Christmas light tours in Green Bay (Easy Living Pedicabs) to the Super Bowl in Houston (Main Street Pedicabs).
   "It’s a fun thing to do at a children’s party," says Portland Rose Pedals owner Casey Martell. "Kids love it."
   In some markets pedicabs also offer delivery service from delis and bakeries to other businesses.
   In Las Vegas pedicabs transport gamblers and shoppers between casinos.
   "We have a program for hotel guests checking in for the half mile from self-parking to the entrance. We have people riding to relax and enjoy the scenery. And we have them running from store to store with the pedicabs waiting outside for them. It runs the gamut," says general manager Troy Fischer.
   Pedicabs are seasonal in some markets. Green Bay quits after the new year and starts up again in the spring. In warmer climates the pedicab businesses are open all year, and last year Manhattan Rickshaw extended its operation to year-round.
   Hours of operation range from weekends in Portland to 24/7 in Las Vegas.
   Creative includes logo and contact information as well as graphics. Specifics related to a campaign can also be included. "For instance, it can say ‘Visit us at booth 39’ at a convention," says Gas Lamp general manager Ryan Gurin.
   Creative is almost always provided by the advertiser. Specs vary from company to company.
   Usually one advertiser is displayed per pedicab or fleet, but sometimes more than one compatible ad will be accepted.
   Illumination ranges from light boxes in Manhattan to a border of reflective tape in Green Bay.
   Pedicabs can be modified to reflect their environment as they are at Desert Passage in Las Vegas, where Asian-style antique bikes are used.
   Two cows ride aloft a pedicab to advertise Ben & Jerry’s and a whale’s tail pedicab promotes Sea World.
   "Bikes are a flexible platform that can be adapted," Meitzler says. "For instance, for a coffee company you could have a big coffee cup on the back of the cab which could actually serve coffee."
   Drivers’ garb varies from uniforms on the strip in Las Vegas to top hats for pedaling wedding parties.
   Drivers can wear T-shirts with the advertiser’s logo and contact information, as requested. The T-shirt or any other costume or clothing is provided by the advertiser.
   Distribution of coupons, flyers and samples is available through some of the pedicab companies.
   Drivers can be provided with product information to share with passengers on request. 
   "The ad can say ‘Ask driver for details’--then drivers can hand out an advertiser’s coupon for a free drink at a restaurant or a discount coupon or even a menu," says Easy Living co-owner Pam Aerts. "The drivers can call ahead to restaurants to make a reservation."
   Most drivers are self-employed contractors, so the availability of this kind of service varies.
   The downside of promotions is when advertisers are looking for widespread distribution of their coupon or sample, says Pedaltek owner Gary Geske.
   "The problem being like on the Fourth of July when there were 100,000 people at the Tempe fireworks. While giving a ride to two or three people we might pass 3,000 or 4,000 who see our signage, but passing out flyers doesn’t work."
   Most pedicab companies will sell from one vehicle to an entire fleet for a campaign.

Markets
   Pedicab advertising is available in many urban markets spanning every geographic area in the U.S. For this article we covered New York City, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Green Bay and Portland, Ore.

Numbers
   Fleets vary in size from one pedicab to 45.

How measured?
   Ridership as well as pedestrian and vehicular traffic can be counted. Impressions are created when the pedicab is in traffic and when it is waiting in high-traffic areas for a fare, Portland’s Martell says.
   Enclosed environments like the Desert Passage can provide traffic counts. 
   "We can tell advertisers how many people are there on each day, and that can be cross referenced with the number of shifts that pedicabs ran with the number of bikes out," Fischer says. 
   "We have, on the average, 46,000 people per day. That fluctuates with the time of year and whether or not it’s the weekend."
   "Impressions can approach a million when you get involved with special events like parades," Manhattan Rickshaw’s Meitzler says. "Especially if you end up getting on TV."
   And, adds Main Street Pedicabs owner Steve Meyer, "Everybody has their picture taken in pedicabs, so brands are further promoted in their living room slide shows."

What product categories do well?
   Items that are accessible to consumers on the go work best, Manhattan Rickshaw’s Meitzler says. "Like gum, mints, energy drinks."
   Entertainment, health and beauty aids, hotels, electronics, communications and non-profits are also a good fit.
   Product categories reflect markets in some cases.
   "This is sin city," says Jim Huff, president of Las Vegas-based Silver State Pedicabs. "So anything for somebody 21 and older goes. You’re not going to advertise ‘Barney’ here."
   Short-term advertisers tend to book around special events and conventions while long-term advertisers tend to be national brands, Gas Lamp’s Gurin says.
   Categories that may not work include transportation like limos and bikes.
   Manhattan Rickshaw discourages ads from specific restaurants.
    "We wouldn’t want to offend another restaurant," Meitzler says. They also avoid alcohol ads while advertisers in other markets, like Las Vegas, which are targeting an adult demographic, may use them. Easy Living Pedicabs in Green Bay specializes in restaurant and nightclub advertising, catering to Packers fans.

Demographics
   Demographics can sometimes be targeted, depending on the market. For example, a portion of a New York pedicab fleet may work the theater district.
   When pedicabs are commissioned for valet, delivery or convention service, demographic groups can often be identified.
   "Our pedicabs can move through a lot of segments of a market in a day," Manhattan Rickshaw’s Meitzler says.
   "On weekends we target the 21-to-35 range because we’re geared to entertainment," Easy Living’s Aerts says. "Then during the Packers season it shifts to 30 years and up with a higher disposable income. For special events it can range from 5-year-olds to 85-year-olds."

Making the buy
   Manhattan Rickshaw Company:

Who’s already on pedicabs:
   Wells Fargo, Budweiser, Kinko’s, General Motors, Hooters, J.P. Morgan, Altoids, Microsoft, Yahoo, Celestial Seasonings, Sam Adams, Coca-Cola and MSN have appeared on pedicabs.

What they’re saying
   "The difference with pedicabs is they’re sitting at eye level. You’re not driving by them at 60 mph. The drivers are in constant circulation, so the chance to see one of them two or three or four times a night is high. They go places where billboard trucks can’t go. On the Fourth of July we went up and down Mill Avenue in Tempe where cars can’t go, but the crowds do." – Gary Geske, owner of Phoenix-based Pedaltek

Web site info
Manhattan Rickshaw Company at www.manhattanrickshaw.com

July 14, 2003© 2003 Media Life

-Kathy Prentice writes about out-of-home advertising  for Media Life, penning her stories from the resort town of Traverse City, in the upper reaches of Michigan.

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