NEW YORK CITY – GPO Vallas, a leading Latin American “out-of-home” (OOH) advertising company announces the U.S. launch of SOMO, a new business line built by partnering with Ara Labs, for the operation of 4,000 screens in 2,000 digital car top advertising displays in NYC, which generate over 3 billion monthly impressions. The companies entered into an exclusive multi-year partnership with Ara and with the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (MTBOT) and Creative Mobile Media (CMM), a division of Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT). MTBOT is the largest yellow taxicab association in New York City. Through this partnership, SOMO will have access to up to 5,500 taxicabs to display advertising on top, currently representing over 65% market share of the total taxi tops in the city.
Through their partnership, the companies will jointly scale the digital car top ad network to the top U.S., Latin American and European markets with the goal of reaching more than 20,000 globally active displays. In addition to growing the size of the network, the companies are collaborating on next-generation car top display technology with a focus on sustainability and richer real time data for advertisers and city partners.
“NYC’s taxi top advertising displays may be the most iconic and ubiquitous DOOH product in the United States,” said Gabriel Cedrone, CEO of GPO Vallas. “Through our partnership with Ara and the MTBOT, we are thrilled to bring our expertise together with our DNA of sustainability to create SOMO, the new branding for our car top network.”
Unlike traditional OOH advertising displays which have fixed locations, Ara’s car top digital car top displays are the industry benchmark for a new class of “moving out-of-home media” (MOOH) that empower advertisers’ to meet their target audience where they are with real time day-part and hyper-local targeting.
“MOOH is experiencing a breakout moment,” said Jeff Cripe, CEO of Ara Labs. “We are excited to partner with GPO Vallas, whose 24+ years of OOH experience and leadership will be instrumental in growing Ara’s car top network from the largest in NYC to the largest in the world.”
Ara’s car top network is already utilized by brands such as WalMart, Starbucks, FanDuel, Chase, and Louis Vuitton. GPO Vallas will double-down on sales efforts to U.S. based clients across all sectors as well as introduce the car top platform to its client base of international advertisers. The companies today announce that GPO Vallas’s US sales efforts will be led by Chief Revenue Officer and digital-out-of-home industry veteran Jamie Lowe.
“I am honored to be working alongside Ara Labs, MTBOT, and the tremendous team we have at GPO Vallas.” said Jamie Lowe, CRO of SOMO. “Delivering valuable content to consumers, dynamic advertising to brands, and improving lives in cities is something I am passionate about and have deep experience with. NYC’s car top displays are one of the most famous and recognizable formats in the world, and mobile media is one of the most effective and efficient media forms to target consumers where they live, work, shop, dine, and play.”
“Car top advertising displays are a tried and tested media format which provide tremendous reach, frequency, and value.” added Jamie Lowe, CRO of SOMO. “Now having the ability to layer in GPS, geo-targeting, dynamic capabilities, and the ability to be contextually relevant in neighborhoods and cities allows marketers to further bring digital experiences to the physical world.”
“The partnership between MTBOT, CMM, Ara Labs, and GPO Vallas represents a major investment in the future of yellow taxicabs and the broader advertising landscape. By combining our extensive experience in the taxi industry with cutting-edge technology and global reach, we are delivering an unparalleled offering for advertisers. This collaboration not only enhances the visibility and impact of yellow cabs in NYC but also reinforces their enduring value as an integral part of the city’s vibrant transportation ecosystem,” said Ron Sherman, President of the Metropolitan Taxi Board of Trade (MTBOT).
The companies were advised by Sheldon Silverman and Stephen Freitas of OOH Capital, the leading global OOH consultancy. “This is a very exciting evolution of the MOOH Media vertical”, says Sheldon Silverman. “Both GPO Vallas and Ara are leaders in their fields and their shared desire to drive sustainability and responsible corporate culture for social good is highly synergistic and a cornerstone to the partnership”
To learn more about SOMO, visit somo.world, for more information about advertising with SOMO, contact Jamie Lowe at lowe.jamie@somo.world.
About GPO Vallas
GPO Vallas is a specialized OOH (Out-of-Home) advertising company. For almost 25 years, the company has been a top player in the traditional OOH market and one of the most recognizable OOH companies in Latin America (LatAm), with presence in over 10 countries. Their focus is on the shared responsibility of creating cleaner and more livable urban environments for everyone. To achieve this goal, GPO Vallas designs and develops technological platforms that improve the quality of life for citizens while effectively addressing the pollution problems we face in our cities.
About Ara Labs
Ara owns and operates networks of digital signage, including the largest network of car top advertising displays in New York City and ad-enabled EV charging displays through Ara’s partnership with ChargePoint, Inc and Destination Media, Inc.. The company is venture-backed by Founders Fund, Coatue, iHeart Media, Rosecliff Ventures, Techstars, and others.
About MTBOT
The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (“MTBOT”), established in 1958 is the oldest and largest taxicab trade association in New York City. MTBOT represents the owners and operators of more than 5,500 taxicabs. In 2015, MTBOT launched a Driver Resource Center that provides free training and licensing services to more than 20,000 drivers.
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