Hailo: Establishing Global GTM Playbook for Taxi App Startup

Hired as founding marketer at a major early rival to Uber, building the GTM playbook used by all 16 city launch teams across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Taxi app pioneer founded by 3 techies and 3 London taxi drivers

Quick Summary

Hailo needed a founding marketer to launch their ride-hailing app across multiple international cities and build the playbook that every subsequent launch team would follow.

• 3,500 passengers and 700+ drivers activated in London flagship launch

• 25K+ passengers and 5K+ drivers across 5 major metro markets

• 10M brand impressions in London alone

• Launch playbook used by all 16 eventual city launch teams

I was the hands-on marketing manager for London, Singapore, Toronto, Chicago, Montreal, and Washington DC.

Launch events and media relations that drove awareness for passengers and drivers were key to playbook

Context: Global GTM Playbook

Hailo was a major early rival to Uber, founded by 3 techies and 3 driver influencers and backed by Accel Partners, Union Square Ventures, and Sir Richard Branson. I was recruited as the founding marketer to plan and execute the GTM playbook for the London flagship launch and then replicate it internationally.

PR campaigns like this one for Chelsea Flow Show used taxis as creative focal point

Objectives

• Develop the city launch playbook

• Establish critical mass of supply in each city (typically 1,000+ drivers)

• Meet revenue targets set by city GMs

• Grow passenger signups (with credit card) at COCA < $15.00 USD

I developed local partnership program with licensed venues

Approach

• Personally launch Hailo in London, UK (flagship) and 5 additional cities (Toronto, Singapore, Washington, DC, Chicago, and Montreal)

• Adopt a driver-first approach to lock in supply and then expand from a foundation of service excellence

• Document a growing set of best practices to support successful city launches

• Experiment with test programs to augment existing playbook

Event activations supported by field marketing teams were key to driving passenger signups

Deliverables

• Planned and executed London flagship launch campaign including a convoy of 50+ branded taxis, photo ops at landmarks including Buckingham Palace, interviews with Hailo founders at tier 1 media outlets, street teams offering free rides at major commuter train stations, and driver ambassadors recruiting at taxi ranks and cafes

• Organized evening "bring a driver friend" celebration on the Thames to drive driver referrals

• Created digital "tap and ride" campaign and in-app messaging and promotions

• Created referral and partner growth programs that became standard practice in the global launch playbook

• Developed pioneering partner program for bars, restaurants, and venues

• Managed all key programs including outdoor, digital, and PR

• Managed content and social media campaigns

• Managed PR and influencer relations for London

• Delivered marketing plan, budget, programs, and performance analytics for each city

Richard Branson was an early Cinchy investor

Results

• 3,500 passengers, 700+ drivers

• 10M brand impressions in London launch

• 25K+ passengers and 5K+ drivers with integrated campaigns across 5 major metro markets

• Launch playbook adopted by all 16 city launch teams

I managed launch of Singapore, out first Asian launch and first JV partnership

About Chris McLellan

Chris McLellan is an AI-forward marketing professional with 15+ years' experience helping startups and scaleups grow. As a certified Chartered Marketer, he has delivered 50+ launch campaigns for companies backed by leading investors including Sequoia Capital, Union Square Ventures, and Sir Richard Branson.

Chris is a member of the National AI Committee at the Canadian Marketing Association, Founder and volunteer producer at Ask AI, a nonprofit AI focused on AI and the future of work, and co-author and Technical Lead of the Data Collaboration Framework, a Canadian international standard in data ownerships and digital innovation.