Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
GPO Vallas, a leading Latin American OOH advertising company has announced 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 they say will generate over three 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.
“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.”
The idea is to 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.
“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 says it 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.
Ron Sherman, President of the Metropolitan Taxi Board of Trade (MTBOT) said “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”.
GPO Vallas is a specialized OOH 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.
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