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NYC Taxi Rides Cost 99 Cents for a Day, Via Verizon

Verizon is launching a guerilla campaign in NYC which includes 99 cent cab rides and 99 cent Mr. Softee ice cream cones to tout the 99 cent daily usage fee in Verizon’s prepaid cell phone plans.

The campaign, which also includes radio and newspaper ads, along with outdoor elements like subway, bus and bus shelter ads, comes from McCann Erickson and Universal McCann, according to Adweek.

The 99 cent taxi rides are being offered today (Wednesday) for passengers of 40 Verizon-branded cabs leaving from Penn Station and Grand Central in the morning, and from various points in the city back to those stations in the evening. Brand ambassadors will chat with passengers as they manage the taxi transactions.

The ice cream promotion, featuring four Verizon-wrapped Mr. Softee trucks and Verizon-branded napkins, will take place June 23 in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, during lunch.

Verizon Wireless launched a national TV campaign for its prepaid plans in May.

In January, PQ Media predicted that total out-of-home will be up 3% in 2009. But if the first quarter is an indication of the rest of the year to come, that number could be wildly optimistic. Q1 ad spending for the outdoor sector was down 14.6%, according to TNS Media Intelligence.