ByDarko Savic
Unrelated expertise exchange network
4 years ago
1
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Idea
Darko Savic Jan 30, 2022
Marketing scheme where sponsors pay taxi fares for people who solve a problem while commuting
Image credit: Stocksy
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Originality
Is it original or innovative?
Feasibility
Is it feasible?
Necessity
Is it targeting an unsolved problem?
Conciseness
Is it concisely described?
Bounty for the best solution
Provide a bounty for the best solution
Bounties attract serious brainpower to the challenge.
A marketing scheme where sponsors pay for your taxi/uber ride if you can come up with an idea that solves/advances whatever problem they are struggling with. Submit your idea before the ride is over.
Why?
- Sponsors get exposure for their brand and the problems they are trying to solve.
- Sponsors might get their problems solved or at least moved closer to solutions.
- People get their fares paid.
- People are entertained while taking a ride and inspired to exercise their creativity.
How it works
The cab drivers offer their customers an option to have their fare paid by the sponsor if they can come up with a satisfactory solution (could be partial as well) before the ride ends.
A taxi company, Uber, or similar transport provider maintains business relationships with their sponsors. Each sponsor provides a list of problems they are willing to pay to have solved.
The transport provider keeps all the problems in an app. It could be an added feature to the standard Uber app. It could also be a separate app. The cab driver can hand people a tablet with the app already loaded so that all they need to do is think and submit their idea.
Each customer taking a ride gets to pick between 3 different problems to think about. They can submit one solution suggestion for each.
For each problem that is still unsolved, they can see all the previous ideas that were submitted by other people. They can see which ideas got accepted (fare paid) or rejected by the sponsor.
Acceptance/rejection of ideas
Because acceptance/rejection is time sensitive and should be known before the ride is over, each sponsor has a hotline where a dedicated person is competent to instantly judge the submitted ideas.
The ideas are submitted either via:
- a summary limited to 400 characters
- a voice message limited to 60 seconds
All the submissions instantly get through to the person in charge for decisions. They click either "accept" or "reject" button. If accepted, the taxi fare is paid by the sponsor.
If an idea is accepted, the person that came up with it can opt to include their name for everyone to see and contanct info for the sponsor to get in touch.
6
Creative contributions
Market research
Perhaps, instead of having a problem to solve (Which would need to be verified and tested to see if the solution is effective), companies use part of their marketing budget to cover people's fares, or at least a percentage thereof, who answer a couple of questions.
This way, companies can get the opinions of everyday people on the street. Online questionnaires already exist where users can make a little bit of money by answering a number of questions related to an industry or product. Not everyone is active on the internet though, and getting people in taxis might give valuable insight into the current popular opinion.
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Use on Airflights
I think this idea is better suited to airplane flights, as they afford more time for participants to provide solutions. Also, it ensures the solutions can be verified to ensure they have merit. I imagine many people will participate just to pass the time and exercise their brains anyway, plus the fact they could be solving a real-life problem is an exciting and rewarding prospect on its own.
However, to further motivate them, participants can be rewarded with free car rides or some savings on their flight tickets. However, it will not be instantaneous. Instead, it will be in the form of points, much like how loyalty points work, which they can then convert to pay for their rides/flights or get a discount.
Alternatively, sponsors can set up a system of rewards where viable and feasible solutions get substantial rewards and credit for their efforts, while low-tier solutions get less valuable rewards.
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Darko Savic2 years ago
This is an excellent idea. The airline could hand out brainstorming booklets full of problems to solve. Each problem has a QR code on the page. If scanned, it takes you to a website where you type in your idea.
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A little bit more time
What?
Option to submit your idea 30 min or 1 hour after the start of reading the problem.
Why?
If I was offered a challenge like this, I would definitely give it a shot! My only problem is that I read really slow. If an average ride lasts 15-20 mins (10-11 km), I would probably be able to read the problem and start thinking about it. I would even be able to offer some solutions, too. But I think there would be no time for me to go through all the previously suggested solutions.
I imagine it to work similarly to this platform. On average, I spend 20-40% of my time on reading session text and 80-60% on reading solutions. Although I assume heavy summarization of solutions would be performed in order for users to read it in a short time, I would still be beaten by time.
The problem - the solution
I assume you are thinking "How would the company pay the user for a ride then?". Even though the user would end up paying for the ride, he could get a discount for all rides withing a month, one free ride or a cashback on his card (if he paid by one).
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Povilas S2 years ago
Haha, sorry J. Nikola, I didn't see your contribution posted while writing mine. But I see we raised some different points also, apart from the same ones, so maybe it's ok:)
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A different problem for each different cab
Since people usually book cabs through apps now, the problem could be displayed once you select a particular cab. The app usually gives you at least a few options to choose from, depending on the price, the type of the vehicle, arrival time, etc. Each different option could have a different problem attached to it for passengers to read in advance, before even booking the ride.
That way people could choose a car with a problem they think is most plausible for them to solve. And also they'd have some time to think about it in advance, before the cab arrives. This would also encourage them to book a cab with their favorite problem faster since offers constantly fluctuate and the cab with that problem might not be available soon if you don't book it now.
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Oguntola Tobi2 years ago
I'm not sure about the feasibility of different cabs with questions attached. I think a better option is for them to be able to select the problems they think they have a shot at solving. So, while they wait for a ride, they can check the available problems, select the best one, and start thinking on it before their ride arrives.
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Povilas S2 years ago
Oguntola Tobi That's exactly what I suggested. Cab booking apps like Uber and Bolt show you a list of different cab options once you enter your pick-up and destination addresses. Those options differ in price, arrival time vehicle type, etc. Each of those options could also show you a different problem to solve, harder problems would cover larger cab prices. When choosing a particular cab you'd now have another factor to base your decision on - a problem attached to it.
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More time for the moderators to review the solutions
I think it would be better if the sponsor's team had more time to accept/reject the solution. For someone who's in charge of the validation process, it would take time to think and decide whether the solution is good (enough). Little time means a higher probability of accepting unfit solutions and missing out on rather good ones.
It also means that the passenger trying to solve the problem will be a bit pushed to come up with the solution quicker, this is because the moderator will need at least some time (a minute or a few) to read/listen and decide whether to accept it or not. So the passenger would have to submit it some time before the ride ends. And some rides are very shot, just a few minutes. All this creates a tense atmosphere on both ends which is not good for creative problem-solving.
A fee for a ride could simply be refunded later if the solution gets accepted. Or it could be frozen until the review process is over or even delayed - meaning the passenger won't be charged anything until the solution is reviewed. Since most cab rides these days are booked and paid for through apps, this shouldn't be a problem.
So the passenger could take their time until the ride ends. If the ride is long and they happened to submit the solution earlier - even better, then maybe the moderator will manage to review and accept/reject it till the ride ends, if not - not a problem, the process will end after the ride.
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Where else could this scheme be applied?
- During commute (taxi, uber)
- Oguntola Tobi suggested airlines during flights
- Queuing in waiting rooms
- Where else?
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Povilas S2 years ago
Trains and busses as well
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Add your creative contribution
General comments
Goran Radanovic2 years ago
I think for complex problems that require the passenger more time to solve, they should be allowed to submit them during the next ride. Companies benefit from that because they'll get the best solution since more time was applied to the problem, and the passenger will have their brand in mind for longer than a commute.
They may even consult their friends about the problem, thereby spreading the company's brand. Marketing is all about conditioning.
Depending on the problem's complexity, the sponsor may credit the passenger's account with a balance that equates to several rides.
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Darko Savic2 years ago
This then turns into our type of platform where people/sponsors add bounties to have their problems solved.
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Goran Radanovic2 years ago
Darko Savic 😊 Of course. In that case, you can combine Brainstorming with that platform and give people the option to do the Brainstorming challenge.
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