This week saw probably the most tongue-in-cheek comment yet on the upcoming Irish referendum debate on gay marriage. The taxi app Hailo (think Uber, only for actual taxis) released a hilarious and bitingly satirical online video in order to not only promote the app's new “Pre-Book” facility, but to do so whilst shining a (not so flattering) light on the social hypocrisy behind voting no on the same-sex marriage referendum this Friday (May 22). The video is part of the brand's “Drive for Equality” campaign, and cements the company's support for equal marriage in Ireland. Dozens of other companies in the country have also voiced their support for equal marriage by signing up to the Business for Yes Equality campaign, including eBay, Twitter and Ben and Jerry's.
Hailo have released a bitingly satirical online video in order to promote the app's “Pre-Book” facility and remind Irish citizens to vote on the same-sex marriage referendum
Guns or Knives, a new creative agency based in the Irish capital, approached Hailo with this bold, simple idea, as they felt it managed to display the brand's personality to their core audience in a fun and enlightening way. Of course, the concept of a heterophobic taxi driver sounds like it belongs on a sketch show from the 1990's, but it works surprisingly well and is genuinely funny. That's down as much to the genuine public reactions as the 'actor' though. Of course, it was essential for the project to air just before the two day media moratorium, in order to fill the void in the discussion about the referendum. The thought behind the campaign is that the debate had become heated, less upbeat and even a little tired, so the video was created as a refreshing piece to lighten the mood ahead of voting day. And of course, to get bums on taxi seats!
Hailo – Introducing the Heterophobic Taxi Driver
In support of the referendum, Hailo is also offering free taxi rides to polling stations. However getting the message was proving difficult with the onslaught of media noise around the vote itself. So the creative team at Guns or Knives came up with a hidden camera prank played on unsuspecting passengers. It's honestly hard to believe that the taxi driver in question isn't an actor, but a genuine Dublin taxi driver, as some of the lines he comes out with in the video are genuinely side-splitting. For example: “Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, why would you want to marry someone from another planet?”
Guns or Knives, a new creative agency based in the Irish capital, approached Hailo with this bold, simple idea, as they felt it managed to display the brand's personality
Kevin Keenan, creative director at Guns or Knives, said: “Dublin’s cabbies have lots of opinions and are well known for sharing them” comments. So we flipped a traditional prejudice, to give a satirical take on discrimination. Then we found a proper Dublin taxi driver who we reckoned could pull it off. The timing of the piece was crucial. We didn’t have a lot of time and from idea to airing, the project was completed in just under a week.” A spokesman for Hailo, meanwhile, said: “At Hailo, all our drivers are stars. But when we had an idea to show just how ridiculous discrimination is, one driver in particular shone through. With only two days to go, Hailo is reminding everyone to get the vote out (and if you prebook, your taxi trip to your local booth is free).”The campaign was launched at 5pm on Monday (May 19) and will run online until the referendum tomorrow.
