Hubcapitalism

The free market’s fast lane leaves no object unbranded. These days, buses, subway trains, and even private cars are wrapped in vinyl to tout the latest B2C2C. So where best to capture the eyeballs of the permanently mobile class? Any globe-trotting minion of the new economy will tell you that, upon jet-lagged arrival, the first […]

The free market's fast lane leaves no object unbranded. These days, buses, subway trains, and even private cars are wrapped in vinyl to tout the latest B2C2C. So where best to capture the eyeballs of the permanently mobile class? Any globe-trotting minion of the new economy will tell you that, upon jet-lagged arrival, the first thing they look for is a cab. Enter Singapore ad shop CityDreams, which is turning axle grease into gold by transforming the wheels of a local taxi fleet into little rolling billboards. The freewheeling hubcaps stay upright and readable at any speed, rocking back and forth in a come-hither way. Company founder Jayne Kwek argues that this "total vehicle advertising solution," called Cap2Cap, is both good business and good fashion: The caps, she says, "dress up the taxis like buttons on a suit."

Yet another marketing gimmick in an ad-fatigued world? Perhaps, but word on Singapore's streets is that people can't take their eyes off the caps. After all, that's where the rubber meets the road.

ELECTRIC WORD

Skin Diving
The Essential James Watson
Culture Club
Proto Type
Hubcapitalism