WhizzGo appoints Poulters to move the brand to household name status

Poulters, the Leeds-based agency, has been appointed to handle brand development, advertising and media buying for short-term car hire firm, WhizzGo.

It is not clear if the agency pitched for the business, or if there is an incumbent agency.

Danielle Treanor, national marketing manager for WhizzGo, says Poulters will be working on “moving WhizzGo from a start-up brand to a national household name”.

WhizzGo operates a fleet of Citroën C3 cars in seven locations in the UK – Leeds, London, Brighton, York, Liverpool, Southampton, and Manchester.

The scheme is open to consumers and businesses. Users are provided with a smart card and PIN number, which are used to open and start the car. Cars can be booked online or by phone from one minute to 12 months ahead for a minimum of one hour.

Members have to pay a deposit and there is a charge for each smart car, which is billed each month depending on how often the service has been used. In London, WhizzGo cars are exempt from paying the Congestion Charge.

David Byrne, senior account director at Poulters, says WhizzGo is “a product that not only improves urban transport options, but will reduce congestion and emission levels in the long term. We look forward to changing the widely held belief that we all need our own car”.

There has been an increase in car-sharing schemes over the past few years as concerns about the impact of excessive car usage have grown. Other similar schemes include Streetcar.