Will cabbies make good brand advocates?

As brands look to events and word of mouth to create advocates out of media savvy and often cynical consumers, the idea of sending cabbies off on holiday, courtesy of tourist offices made me chuckle. London's Hackney Cab drivers are being offered free trips to places like Bangkok and the Caribbean in the hope that they'll wax lyrical to unsuspecting passengers about their amazing experience, sending them packing their bags and booking flights.

One Evening Standard columnist responded today by saying that if there was a chance she'd be stuck in the same resort as a London cabbie for two weeks, she would rather spend her hols in Bognor. Anyone that's spent a 15-minute cab ride rolling their eyes at right wing views or being forced to endure what's wrong with bendy buses will no doubt empathize.

The problem is, that for advocates to cast their spell we need to believe in them and hang off their every word, not fake a phone call. That's why, when a friend tells you how they received priority booking and VIP treatment before a gig at the O2, we seriously consider changing mobile networks. And it's why advertisers are queuing up to reach Facebookers, safe in the knowledge that word of mouth between friends is a powerful marketing tool and the more friends you have, the greater the prize.

The hotel concierge is a trusted advocate. The cabbie, you trust to deliver front door keys to a flat-mate sat on the doorstep or navigate you around the gridlock. As soon you step out of the taxi and bid your farewell, the likelihood is that you've already forgotten whatever it was he was banging on about.

The last time i got into an discussion of note with a Black Cab driver, i'd innocently suggested that London needed to follow the example of New York and get more licensed taxis out on the street. I'd just walked for 20 minutes through Soho, down to Trafalgar Square and out towards Embankment on a rainy Wednesday night looking for a cab with its light on. I thought i'd have the support of my driver, after-all there's no shortage of demand, or so i thought. Judging by his response, i'd inadvertently threatened his livelihood. Apparently, according to him, taxis can drive around London all day without so much of a sniff of a fare and pushing more people through the Knowledge will result in New York's situation of having only a minority of English speaking drivers.

A Mori survey published this week states that the daytime wait in Inner London for a taxi is 24 seconds and 22 seconds in central London. Piccadilly Circus is apparently the best place to find a cab, with the average wait being just 10 seconds. So, there is no shortage of Black Taxis, London doesn't need more qualified, licensed and regulated drivers and I'm just about to book a holiday that was recommended to me by Ron from Chingford who's just dropped me off.