LivingSocial: Roll the Dice Taxi

Taxis are becoming a great media for unexpected advertising. In London, LivingSocial takes over an everyday cab and turns it into a surprising, delightful experience.

The objective is simple. Create buzz around the LivingSocial website and showcase the variety of discounts in a way that feels like a story, not a sales pitch.

A taxi ride with a fork in the road

When unsuspecting passengers hail this special taxi and get inside, they are offered a choice. Carry on to their original destination, or “roll the dice” and go for an experience instead.

The decision is the hook. The passenger stays in control, but the brand turns that control into a game, and the game turns a normal ride into a memorable narrative.

In urban commuter cities, a taxi ride is one of the few time-boxed moments where a brand can own the environment end-to-end.

Why the gamble is more persuasive than the pitch

This works because it reframes discount discovery as adventure. The “roll the dice” option creates a moment of suspense, and suspense buys attention better than any list of offers ever will.

Extractable takeaway: If you sell a broad catalogue of offers, do not lead with the catalogue. Lead with a simple, voluntary choice that creates emotional momentum, then let the catalogue appear as the natural payoff for choosing to play.

While the ride plays out, the experience is described as feeding contestants a long stream of sales information. The trick is that the information arrives while the passenger is already invested in what happens next, so it feels like part of the ride rather than an interruption.

The real business intent behind the stunt

At the surface, this is “surprise and delight.” Underneath, it is a conversion engine. It demonstrates the breadth of deals, pushes people into trying something they would not normally consider, and gives them a story they want to retell.

What to steal for your own city-scale activation

  • Offer two paths. A safe default and a bold option. The contrast makes the bold option irresistible.
  • Make the choice voluntary. Consent turns skepticism into curiosity.
  • Let the content ride shotgun. Teach benefits during the experience, not before it.
  • Design for retellability. “A taxi that lets you roll the dice for a surprise destination” is a one-sentence story.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the LivingSocial Taxi Experiment?

It is a branded taxi experience where passengers can either continue to their original destination or roll the dice and be taken to a surprise experience that showcases LivingSocial deals.

Why does the “roll the dice” mechanic work?

It creates suspense and a sense of ownership. The passenger chooses the gamble, which makes the experience feel like their story, not the brand’s stunt.

What is the key mechanism that makes this shareable?

A clear, explainable twist on a familiar behavior. Taking a taxi becomes a game with a surprising payoff, which people naturally want to describe to friends.

How do you adapt this pattern without a taxi fleet?

Find a time-boxed environment you can fully control, introduce a simple forked choice, and make the “bold” path deliver a visible, memorable payoff that naturally carries your product story.

Zonacitas.com: Singles Finder App

“Love is out there. If we get organized, there’s plenty for all.” That is the simple provocation behind the Singles Finder App built for Zonacitas.com, a major Argentinian dating portal.

Buenos Aires is often described as a nightlife-heavy city with thousands of bars, discos, and pubs. That abundance creates a practical problem for singles. Where do you go tonight if your goal is to actually meet someone?

Singles Finder reframes the decision as information. It is described as a free iPhone app that shows the number of single prospects in each location, so users can choose where to go before they go.

Turning nightlife into a searchable index

The mechanism is straightforward. The app surfaces venue-level counts of single men and women, letting users compare options and pick the spot with the best odds for their intent, rather than relying on guesswork or luck.

In big-city nightlife ecosystems, the winning consumer experience is often the one that reduces uncertainty about where to invest your next two hours.

Why it lands

This works because it respects the real barrier. The hardest part is not downloading a dating app. It is deciding where to show up in the physical world.

Extractable takeaway: When your category depends on offline outcomes, shift the product value from “matching” to “decision support.” Help people choose where to go, not just who to message.

What Zonacitas.com is really buying

As positioning, it moves the brand from “dating portal” toward “nightlife utility.” As behavior, it encourages planning and repeat usage. As marketing, it turns a crowded, emotional category into a rational promise you can explain in one sentence.

What to steal for other location-driven products

  • Make the choice easier, not louder. Reduce the decision space with a simple comparison signal.
  • Shift value upstream. Solve the problem before the user commits time and money to a night out.
  • Design for “before I leave home.” The best moment is pre-decision, not mid-venue.
  • Keep the promise legible. A count is clearer than a vibe.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Singles Finder App?

It is a Zonacitas.com mobile app concept that shows how many single prospects are in each nightlife location, helping users decide where to go before they head out.

Why is the “count per venue” mechanic persuasive?

It turns an emotional, uncertain choice into a comparable signal. Users can pick a venue based on odds rather than guesswork, which feels immediately useful.

What problem does this solve that typical dating portals do not?

It addresses the offline planning step. Instead of focusing only on profiles and messaging, it supports the real-world decision of where to show up tonight.

What should a brand measure for an activation like this?

App opens during peak nightlife hours, venue search and comparison behavior, downstream check-ins or venue visits where available, and retention driven by repeat planning on future nights.