This Kolkata-based startup changing the way we advertise in rented cabs

The overall Indian advertising market size, which reached Rs 743.0 billion in 2022, is expected to reach Rs 1,412.5 billion by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2 per cent during 2023-2028. And here is a Kolkata-based startup that is keen on riding piggyback on this exponential growth. It has come up with an AI-based travel buddy app for rented cab services, which will transform the age old format of advertising.

Remember that your next ride on a rented cab may be different - not as boring as it used to be, courtesy Screenzy, a new generation travel buddy app from a Kolkata-based startup. If you get to see a tab on the back of the front passenger seat headrest, something like the entertainment screen in an aeroplane, you are most likely looking at a Screenzy device. And what you can expect from this device- live interactive content, quick facts about city, geo location targeted content, winning vouchers and cashback on the go, constant source of entertainment and much more- all based on smart technology and AI.

From the advertisers’ point of view also, Screenzy promises to transform the age old format of advertising through unique and interactive content in the form of an app.

“Screenzy is going to be a game changer and it would show the world a new horizon of advertising which is cost effective, innovative, dynamic and interactive. It offers such an advertising platform that erases the traditional notions of advertising,” said Arka Ganguli, founder, Screenzy.

“With Screenzy, we can provide our target audience with an enhanced engagement platform where they can interact and get to know about trending places in the city which will help brands to showcase themselves using an innovative approach. With an initial seed fund of Rs 2 crores, we have plans to partner with multiple brands from the city and onboard more driver partners from the city,” he added.

Screenzy started its services in Kolkata in November, 2022 and within months of rolling out its services, it has already marked its footprints by partnering with over 300 cabs and brands from diverse sectors. Floated by Arka Ganguli, Devendra Goel, Amit Ganguli, the startup from Kolkata seems well set to start off its Mumbai journey and eventually other parts of the country, depending on the experiences of Kolkata and Mumbai.

Ganguly explained that the screen of the tab will switch on when a ride starts and start displaying various kinds of dynamic information as the app cap moves through the city. For instance, if you are passing, say, Victoria Memorial Hall, it will tell you that VRI inscribed there stands for ‘Victoria Regina Imperatrix’ or Victoria Queen and Empress. Or when near the Howrah Bridge, it will show that this is one of the busiest bridges in the world, handling 100,000 vehicles and 150,000 pedestrians each day. Or that the South Park Street Cemetery was the largest nonchurch cemetery outside Europe in the 19th century.

There would also be quizzes that run on the multiple-choice format that you can play to keep yourself entertained on the way to your destination. Not only that, if you get the answers right you can win vouchers and cashback on the cab ride right then. Instead of a quiz, it could also be a feedback questionnaire from marketplaces, restaurants, hotels, cafes, or other establishments.

Explaining why should brand choose Screenzy, Ganguly said that it is highly affordable, it has got limitless shelf life, geo-location triggering, higher point of contact, extremely competitive pricing compared to print/broadcast media, it is already offering more than 225k target specific impressions with 300 cabs every month. The other advantages are one can change one’s content any day for infinite number of times, passengers can scan code to redeem offers and vouchers, it offers interactive and engaging content.

Going by its own internal projections, the number of operational tabs in cabs is expected to increase like this: from 300 in 2023 to 3200 in 2024, 7000 in 2025, 11,000 in 2026, 14,800 in 2027 and 20,000 in 2028. Accordingly their revenue projections would also grow from Rs 6 crore in 2024 to nearly Rs 154 crore in 2028, said Ganguly.