United Airlines wins at Cannes for innovative taxi tops

United Airlines’ clever taxi-top marketing gambit last year in New York City was not only timely and eye-catching. It also turned out to be an award-winning entry in the prestigious annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity late last month in Cannes, France. United’s ad agency of record McGarryBowen New York City outfitted 125 New York City taxis with GPS software to show a real-time comparison of travel times between Manhattan and both JFK, where United arch-rivals Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have major operations, and Newark Liberty International, United’s principal hub for the New York City region. Beyond the awards, the United advertising scheme helped to subvert the notion in many travellers’ minds that JFK is a shorter travel time from Manhattan than is Newark Liberty. <br/>