Denis Opudo
TabAds is a Kenyan startup that was launched in November 2017. The startup plans to develop its advertising model. The model places tablets in taxis running interactive content and adverts. TabAds gives tablets and installs them behind headrests in taxis. They also control the tablets via an automated process. This helps the tablets to stream movies and music. It can also show interactive content to travelers.
The startup tends to make travelers enjoy their favorite news, video, sports, offers, hyperbole content and more. This makes them enjoy traveling rather than having style and comfort. TabAds offers state-of-the-art in-vehicle entertainment tablets and complimentary premium content for every taste. It caters for every passenger boarding the taxi. In a ride that takes many hours one does not imagine how fast they reach their destinations. Passengers are only required to sit, relax, and engage themselves in lively entertainment.
The model is still in the piloting stage aiming to offer the concept and get some customer response. Currently, it is monitoring not less than 500 rides per day. For a long time, the Nairobi outdoor advertisement has been limited to the billboard advertisements. They have used other stationary forms of advertisement. The stationary forms have got low and unreliable ROI. The unreliable ROI makes them hard to track. TabAd’s vision is to offer an entertaining and an interactive platform with reliable ROI hence giving out tangible results. It also wants to change the fear on many B2B businesses. Many B2B businesses fear to get into free marketing. This is the reason that there is lack of unique audience. Taxi drivers are the best audience and a perfect option for B2B. Besides, they are technologically updated with smartphones and credit cards.
By using the tablets, the TabAd’s client’s advert gets well to the targeted group. This will be the Kenyan first in-cab digital advertising platform. The startup managed to close seed funding from a local angel investment networks. It also closed the seed investment in early January 2018. The local angel investment networks were Foresight Ventures. The current key target is the east African market. However, the firm is planning to expand to the West African markets in future. The specific countries are Ghana and Nigeria since they are more like Nairobi. The number of middle class and the high number of cab users are some of the similarities shared.
