Taxi booking app Hailo’s London heritage will help it to crack the Asian market, according to newly-appointed chief marketing officer Gary Bramall.

Speaking to M&M Global last night (23 October) at Hailo’s third birthday event, Bramall claimed the “prestige” of the brand’s association with London black cabs will help it succeed in Singapore, where it officially launched this week.

The business, which runs in the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Japan, last week revealed it is to end operations in the US and Canada due to “astronomical” marketing demands. Co-founder Jay Bregman also left the company.

Hailo will now focus on expanding its share of the corporate travel market in Europe, with further Asian city launches expected in the next “couple of weeks”.

It also marked its anniversary with a redesign of its mobile app, including a new in-app payment system called Pay With Hailo.

Disruptive potential

Former Microsoft and Apple marketer Bramall, who joined the company last month, said he excited by Hailo’s disruptive potential: “I’ve been very lucky with the brands I’ve worked on in the past, they’ve been very disruptive. I would always rather be a pirate than in the navy.”

He believes Hailo must maintain a “coherent” brand across global markets, but adapt its marketing plans to suit local trends.

“Developing a brand in Asia is a different thing from [in Europe]. You’ve got to rip up the rule book,” said Bramall. “In Asia they love our black cab heritage, the prestige of London works very well. We’ve got a lot of great opportunities lined up in Asia, and [Singapore] is the first one.”

The targeting of social media influencers will be key to Hailo’s success in Asia, said Bramall, though traditional media will continue to play a prominent role.

“The vloggers and bloggers out there are so influential, they are the equivalent of our celebrities. They are almost like mini-media tycoons with a great following. That is very different in terms of brand building, getting engaged with those guys.

“Then it’s a balance between how Western and how Eastern you are. I believe strongly in being a single brand that doesn’t fragment, and therefore isn’t coherent and inconsistent. It’s a bit like threading through the eye of a needle, so social media is going to be important.

“But some of the traditional brand building, like TV is still important, as are partnerships, and we’ve got a handful of those ready.”