CARO by LoADing
Starting our 3rd year at Panteion University, more specifically, on Advertising and Public Relations field, we were asked to form a team for the semester’s projects. Our team, “LoADing” (LoADing Ideas) consists of six passionate students that aspire to bring to life innovative and life changing ideas in a unique and creative way. Our first big challenge for the #Marketing_MobileDigitalLab by #AD&PRLAB, was to develop an idea for a new brand that offers innovative and exciting opportunities. Our idea was born when one of our team members wanted to organize a trip and had trouble finding tickets in a reasonable price. The first step of our research process was to note the problems of public transportation and the disadvantages of traveling alone with a car, we started looking for alternative ways of transportation within our country, Greece. And then, we came up with our big idea: A carpooling service in an application form. Even though carpooling services are not popular in Greece (there is only one Facebook page offering such services), carpooling is a very common solution in other countries, when it comes to travelling. In order to find out if the Greek market was ready for a carpooling service, we created an online questionnaire. The results showed that most people would rather travel with company and share costs as it seems to be the biggest problem of young travelers. Even though people (especially with a Greek mindset) are hesitant about the idea of travelling with a stranger, adding the words safety and convenience to the whole idea made the majority of the users wanting to try it.
What is our actual service?
An app/a service that gives you the opportunity to travel by car to your destination, while sharing your expenses and the whole experience with…well…anyone. Our clients can basically use the app as an alternative to traditional means of transportation. As soon as the users download it, they can create an account and upload their personal information (even car plates). Next step is to choose whether they are a car owner/trip planner or the co-driver. Let’s explain everything through an example. Sophia is a student in Athens, she owns a car and needs to travel to Ioannina very often, where she is originated from. She is tired of spending large amount of money on gas and tolls and she is keen on the idea of traveling with company. So, with our app, Sophia can pin her trip plans in order other users to join her. She shares all her personal information, including car plates and credit data to help make the economic transactions.
App costs
The cost depends on the driver’s car needs (cost of fuel) and toll costs. We provide drivers with an estimated price range they can charge their co-travelers and which they cannot overcome. The final cost is the result of the above costs, plus our 10% commission. Now, back to our example. Petros and Ismini are friends that are interested in Sophia’s trip and decide to join her. The trip, including both toll costs (about 40 euros) and gas expenses (about 50euros — depending on the car) will cost approximately 90 euros. Our app will divide the final cost in three, making the whole trip cost 30€ per person. This strategy positions us to a very competitive place in comparison to our competitors as we offer much lower prices and a safer transportation choice compared to the already existent Facebook page “Share the ride”.
We wanted to create a brand that is loyal and honest to its customers and at the same time, provide them the opportunity to travel in an affordable way and meet new people. We want to keep a fun, cool, adventurous and outgoing personality for our app, in order to match our potential clients’ personas.
The app name, slogan and logo.
When it came to giving life to our vision, we had to come up with a name, a catching slogan, to make sure we have a strong app and an informative website. The name Caro came from the Greek word «Κάρο» which means wagon. It was first mentioned as a joke but we actually decided to stick with it, in order to represent the fact that we are a Greek app. It includes the word “car” and can easily be recognized by foreign users as well. It is a simple and “funny” way to engage with our Greek clients!
SHARE THE CAR, SHARE THE FUN! Our slogan might sound like a cliché but who doesn’t love a good cliché when it comes to marketing? Our slogan provides a clear description of our services, as we want to bring people together on a fun ride and offer them a unique experience. For our brand’s logo, we kept it simple and recognizable. Users can recognize our app by the iconic orange car and the combination of dark blue with a vibrant orange.
All in all, after a challenging but very creative semester, we are now able to evaluate what this period of time has offered us. We are very grateful for our professors, all the passion and the knowledge they shared with us, all the inspiration they gave us and the time they dedicated to equip us with all the tools and impart knowledge to successfully continue with our studies and our future career in general.
