Driver Acquisition in the US
Uber
Start driving. Star earning.
Creative Strategy
Content Creation
Social
Display Campaign
The challenge
To create a campaign targeting three key audiences to increase driver acquisition to Uber in the US, and show these potential drivers how driving on the platform fits around their life.
The aim
Create a simple and effective campaign across several social platforms that highlights the flexibility of Uber, showing potential earners that they can choose when, where and how they earn.
The how
Targeting three core audiences with social ads that highlight the benefits to each potential driver audience in a bold, engaging, relatable and concise way.
Brief

HarrimanSteel has worked with Uber on a number of projects, from social impact stories to sharing thanks with drivers. This time we were tasked with getting prospective earners in the US to sign up to drive with Uber. 

Within this, we needed to target three key audiences, connecting with these markets through cultural touch-points across a number of social channels (Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit and Twitter). A key element of the brief was to focus on the flexibility and earning potential aspects, weaving in the various platform features that added to this flexibility and potential to earn. This included featuring the Earnings Estimator, which calculates, ahead of jumping in the car, the best times to earn, and the Instant Cash Out feature, which allows drivers to withdraw earnings up to five times a day. We also needed to highlight that the flexibility of driving with Uber can mean a number of things – the chance to grow a side business, as well as the freedom to be there for your kids at the end of the day and the opportunity to take on work that builds connections with communities.

Ultimately, we needed to spark excitement with the three audiences by showing the breadth of what Uber could bring to a new drivers’ life, from the practical earning potential to the more emotional benefits. Within this, we needed to build brand advocacy and credibility.

Insight

Uber pioneered the rideshare industry – it has the largest user base and is a global name. Many people frequently use the platform to ride, but perhaps haven’t considered becoming a driver themselves. Increasingly, people are looking for ways to break away from conventional ways of working, but need to know that the earning opportunity will meet their financial goals and fit in with their life, or the life they want. Uber provided insights on three target audiences – Black and Latino communities, parents and IT workers – to help craft the campaign.

Reports have shown that Black and Latino communities have been pivoting from traditional work structures that don’t suit them to gig work and entrepreneurship. Meanwhile parents, especially mothers, have been seeking flexible work opportunities that help them prioritise family time. IT professionals, who often spend long hours at a desk or on their computer, crave seeing new places and meeting new people. 

Within each target audience there were key messages to communicate: the opportunity to be your own boss and learn new skills to thrive; the option to have control of your working hours in order to be there for the family when they need you; the benefits of stepping away from your desk while being sociable at the same time.

Approach

At the heart of the campaign were three key messages:

– drivers can choose when, where and how to earn. They are the boss and can choose when to make money. 

– demand is strong – there are plenty of opportunities to earn.

– drivers’ financial goals matter – by driving with Uber, new experiences can be unlocked.

Ultimately, we need to show that by driving with Uber, potential earners could combine flexibility and earnings and prioritise what matters most in life at the same time. 

It needed to be bold, hopeful and energetic, yet authentic and relatable. This meant a refinement of a tone of voice for copy and imagery that would later be teased out in the shoot of the three audiences. Storyboards were created to show the narrative for each audience type, while extra assets highlighting two features – the Earnings Estimator and Instant Pay – were also crafted. The creative team engaged the photographer, Alex Farnum, whose style fitted the aesthetic of the campaign. The HarrimanSteel team travelled to Los Angeles to oversee the shoot and work closely with Alex to capture what was needed.

A number of assets were then created, from social ads to banners. The Uber look and feel was used as a base for the design, but the team broke away from the set guidelines to create something more fresh and engaging. Each asset needed to work in six seconds; in that time it had to grab attention, deliver a clear message and encourage people to sign up to drive. Transitioning from small to full-bleed images helped create impact, while the team also took elements from the UI and UX experience to deliver separate animations that highlighted some of Uber’s key features, like Instant Pay and the Earnings Estimator, that are its USPs.