Serving as the perfect anecdote to illustrate the growing popularity of bike-share services, China has been taking part in wheel advertisements -- using its bikes as a canvas for advertising space.
Ofo, China's multi-million dollar bike-share program, has been spotted advertising the release of Despicable Me 3, a popular children's movie set to hit theaters at the end of June. The minor modifications to the bike make a major impact to on-lookers as the bikes are decked out with minion goggles on the handlebars, and a promotional image in the tire of the bicycle. The bikes were already yellow, so the changes don't render the company unrecognizable.
The company distributes 10 million rides a day, making this form of advertising an interesting new promotional venue that could generate additional revenue.
Mobile Minion Advertisements
'Ofo' Dresses Its Bikes as Minions to Promote Despicable Me 3
Trend Themes
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Bike-share Advertising — Using bikes from bike-share systems as a platform for advertising.
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Branded Bicycle Modification — Making minor modifications to bicycles to promote a brand.
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Promotional Use of Everyday Items — Using everyday items as a promotional canvas for brand messaging.
Industry Implications
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Advertising — Opportunities to leverage everyday objects for advertising campaigns.
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Bike-sharing — Exploration of new revenue streams and marketing strategies to differentiate from competitors.
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Movie Promotion — Innovative promotional tie-ins for new movie releases including co-branding opportunities with companies.