Seriously? Yes!
It is for a fact that Uber rides are expensive, but to ride an Uber for at least once in your lifetime is an achievement unlocked.
But what if you don’t have enough money?
This week, Uber confirmed it is launching a brand-new ad format that will allow brands to offer its users cash for their next rides.
It’s basically not coupons working on top here, but advertisers “paying” for your rides.
Uber Advertising global head Kristi Argyilan spoke with the media during the Cannes Lions advertising festival in rance, saying, "Our audience is always looking for an opportunity to drive savings and get affordable things, but also get messages that are personalized and relevant for them.”
While not yet in full scale, there were already brands, such as beverage company Molson Coors that has launched advertisers for Ride Offers. To give you the idea, their products, such as Coors Light, will show up with ads in your Uber app, so you can check your phones to see where the driver is, offering you discounts.
Aside from these discounts, advertisers will also be tapped to offer rides to the Miami F1 Grand Prix, and the free skincare products provided with the partnership wth La Mer.
In another example, Uber Eats users could order Christmas carolers to their doors, sponsored by the alcohol company Diageo, which this site has previously reported.
There is a lot of promise from the way Uber advertises, especially that when its ad division launched in 2022, it had reached a whopping $1.5 billion in revenue, up by 60 percent the previous year.
Uber executives are also ensuring the general public that Uber will ramp up its ad business beyond cars and apps.
For instance, it is currently working on allowing advertisers use its data and context about how users have been recently using Uber and Uber Eats to target ads on other websites and apps.
For context, think of this Uber user who might be viewing the app to check the arrival of their car, then flipping to scroll on TikTok once they get inside, where Uber is also present, thanks to its ad system.
“Purchase-based data and the location-based data are what’s really fueling the experience,” stated Megan Ramm, the global head of sales at Uber Advertising.
However, there are chalenges in capturing ad budgets in such a crowded market. It’s about fighting for attention.
“Uber isn’t naturally somebody most brands are going to build those strong top-to-top relationships with,” an executive at a digital marketing company cmmented. “It’s hard enough building a relationship with Google, Meta, Spotify, TikTok, and then having to work out where to put Google in that mix.”
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