‘Upgrade your travels’ – Blacklane says it is working to humanise the professional chauffeur service

11 June, 2019

Premium mobility service provider Blacklane has revealed a new branding, corporate logo and marketing campaign that aims to further disrupt the chauffeur industry. The company has already had a significant impact on the sector as it has grown its network to cover more than 300 cities and 60 countries, but now it also aims to break down the old mindsets from historic advertising campaigns of impersonal and stiff chauffeurs to instead highlight will highlight the craft of driving and people skills that separate chauffeurs from drivers.

"The industry needs a makeover," says Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane. "Legacy companies typically advertise impersonal and stiff chauffeurs - the exact opposite of who they are. We are proud to feature our chauffeur partners' authentic personalities, service mindset and local expertise."

Blacklane competes with the likes of British premium car service Addison Lee and UberBLACK, the world-famous ride-hailing app's luxury arm. Its platform has already created a new global, and more customer-friendly, way to book rides with tens of thousands of chauffeurs. This, says the Blacklane has "halved the cost of legacy limo rides while increasing local chauffeurs' revenues". It certainly has standardised the traveller experience across more than 300 cities and eliminated burdensome industry fees.

Blacklane's aim with its new identity is to build a global brand and re-define the entire chauffeur industry. The two-phase rebrand is based on a vision to "provide peace of mind as you move through a fast-paced world."

The first phase starts immediately with a new website, apps, app icons, logo, tagline and colour scheme. Black-and-white photography and video emphasise the premium vehicles and quality service levels behind its chauffeur and airport Blacklane PASS concierge service.

This premium service provides customers with a standard escort service that fast tracks them through security, customs, and immigration; carries their luggage; and helps process VAT refunds. On departure they can wait at the gate and call you when it's time to board. On the return, they'll be waiting at the gate as you disembark the aircraft.

The rebrand sees the use of a more vibrant rose-orange gradient, which Blacklane describes as representing "a seamless and smooth journey" while at the same time visually separating it from other ride services. A new tag line "Upgrade your travels" replaces "Your professional driver" to broaden Blacklane's scope and emphasises the benefit Blacklane brings rather than the services it offers.

In August, the second phase of the campaign will extend beyond Blacklane chauffeur quality to the chauffeurs' and airport concierges' personalities and soft skills. Blacklane says partners from around the world will highlight their expertise that puts travellers at ease between their front doors and aircraft gates and vice versa.

"There's no better way to show the guest experience than with the actual global crew who provides it on the ground around the world. Our new brand identity uplifts our communication to evoke the peace of mind that follows from our premium service. We have fine-tuned this over seven years, and now is the time to showcase it," says Norbert Richard Meinike, Blacklane's director of marketing.

Blacklane was born out of Berlin, but has expanded far. Most recently it boosted its activities in the Middle East with the launch of chauffeur services in Amman, Jordan and Beirut, Lebanon, boosting its offer in 20 cities and 10 Middle East countries. And further growth in the region is anticipated, a part of the world where Blacklane says users are 50% more likely than other guests to sign up on Blacklane's mobile apps and twice as likely to book the Business Van/SUV class as guests from other parts of the world.