UBER was losing relevance amongst the UAE residents who are naturally own-car riders. Our challenge was to “make UBER RELEVANT again” through a combination of creative messaging, media and technology. We leveraged an age proof technique of ‘moment of truth’ marketing with a modern twist. Our communication revolved around reasons why people should choose UBER over any means of transport. Through research, we identified the top instances when people need a ride and we got the message across at the moment of truth.. A live stunt was implemented that further cemented UBERs utility in the minds of the consumer.
Background.
Uber’s disruptive technology, explosive growth, and constant controversy make it one of the most fascinating companies to emerge over the past decade. The almost ten-year-old company soon grew to become the highest valued private startup company in the world.
Despite high levels of brand awareness (global giant, tech disruptor), top of mind recall was low at need occasions. Internal research told us that its still not a natural reaction to order an UBER when they need a ride, they would either drive or hail a cab. This was a result of noticing non-frequent users despite having our app on their phones. Our challenge was to ensure we reminded audiences in the UAE that selecting an UBER is the better option and it had to be done at the moment of truth.
Describe the creative idea/insights
UBER’s core strength lies in its utility and convenience. We knew that people in the UAE didn’t remember to order an UBER when they needed a ride, therefore we had to illustrate our core strengths during these moments with relevant messaging.
UAE has the highest vehicle density in the region with 1 car for every 2 people (RTA) and grows by 8.2% per year. Naturally this leads to traffic congestion, meaning longer time on the road, therefore high stress. It also leads to parking challenges at malls and office complexes leading to frustration. These then became key elements of our creative strategy
Our idea was to exaggerate the frustration and stress that one dealt with when they were late to an engagement from traffic. This was brought to life via a cinema stunt as the centerpiece of the campaign while relevant media channels with contextual messaging amplified the same.
Describe the strategy.
Our strategy was to identify key ride moments, parking trouble zones and traffic congested roads to communicate our messaging of convenience, comfort and timeliness.
We deployed MOMENT OF TRUTH MARKETING, wherein we re-engineered UBER’s utility into the daily lives of the customers living in UAE
Describe the execution.
The centerpiece of our campaign was a live Cinema Stunt. We partnered with VOX Cinemas. While the trailers were on going and the movie about to start, we paused on screen and there was a moment of silence. An individual (actor) walked into the cinema late as he couldn’t find parking. The actor comes apologizing to the audience for being late, and the cinema hall looks puzzled at what is happening… then on the large cinema screen the message of NEXT TIME TAKE AN UBER appears. All eyes on the actor that keeps apologizing :)
We had a contextual campaign on different media that highlight the benefit of UBER. Outdoor in areas where parking is an issue, mall parking mupis advising people to save time searching for parking “Enjoy the mall, without the hassle of parking”, ads in petrol stations that advise to save on gas by taking an UBER...
List the results.
Media Results: Reached 60% of UAE’s population +53% impressions
+70% mentions +169% interactions +37% conversations+248% engagement
Business Results: +38% organic signups +10.7% downloads vs. UBERs average
Main KPI for the campaign was to report on is increase in usage and app downloads