Ad officials are beginning to realize the potential of Uber Ads' focus on audience attention.
Revamped Perspective:
Uber's bold claim: An 'attention goldmine' boasting ads that outshine competitors (by a whopping 6.6x!) According to Uber and Lumen Research's report, Uber ads win the attention war over other digital platforms, beating the average three-second attention span with longer, engaged gazes. This compelling advantage has created a buzz among brands, with Uber's ad revenue skyrocketing (60% YoY) to reach a whopping $1.5 billion annual run-rate[1].
Paul Wright, Uber Advertising head honcho, sees a fertile field for growth and maturity in this young gaming powerhouse[2]. With a dynamic career spanning three decades and high-profile stints at Sky, Omnicom, Apple, and Amazon, Wright has been at the frontlines of advertising evolution. Now, he believes attention has become the new currency of planning metrics[3]. In this candid convo, Wright sheds light on critical marketing moments that brands can leverage[4].
Question 1:"So, why attention? What makes it the core focus of your advertising proposition?"
Paul's answer: Honestly, we were already tracking stuff, but this project helped us prove what we already suspected: the power of embedding ads smoothly within an overall user experience, sans the usual pesky interruptions. Our customers' undivided attention is what we've always admired, and this study helped us justify this assumption (somewhat scientifically)[5].
Question 2:"Differences between Rides and Eats, huh? Anything we might apply?"
Paul's answer: Ah, indeed! The longer rides lead to different flows, keeping the rider's interest piqued with dynamic ad units. With Eats, it's more about the post-checkout attention, awaiting the delivery. Different formats, time spent, and consumer behavior create varying differences between the two platforms, but both delivered impressive attention metrics in the study[6].
Question 3:"Rides can be seen as top-of-funnel, while Eats moves closer to commerce, right?"
Paul's answer: Yes, brands tend to use Rides for activations, while Eats' post-checkout area is more transactional. This distinction echoes advertiser behavior and underlines the differences in their approaches[6].
Question 4:"So, who's the focus of this attention message?"
Paul's answer: The ad world is booming, with eyeballs everywhere these days! Advertisers strive to grab consumers' attention at the right moment, a task now made even more challenging considering the barrage of ads consumers face daily. Agencies and brands, in essence, are both trying to capture the ideal consumer moment, leveraging attention as the lynchpin[7].
Question 5:"Is there a secret sauce that makes Uber's attention strategy work?"
Paul's answer: Culture and context play essential roles in our strategy. Successful ads require striking at the right cultural and key moments, which is why collaborations, such as our work with Pinterest and West End theatres, have proved effective[8].
1. Paul believes that attention is the new focus of Uber's advertising proposition because the project proved the power of seamlessly embedding ads within the user experience without interruptions, valuing the undivided attention of customers.
2. The differences between Rides and Eats platforms in terms of consumer behavior, time spent, and ad formats create varying differences, but both deliver impressive attention metrics.
3. Brands often use Rides for activations, while Eats' post-checkout area is more transactional, reflecting advertisers' distinct approaches.
4. Advertisers, including agencies and brands, are striving to capture the ideal consumer moment by grabbing their attention at the right time, no easy task given the continued bombardment of ads.
5. Uber's attention strategy is successful due to the combination of cultural and contextual factors, with collaborations such as those with Pinterest and West End theatres being particularly effective.
6. The booming ad world features consumers with numerous eyes on them, making it a challenge for advertisers to strike at the right cultural and key moments for optimal engagement.
7. Romping through the digital landscape, Uber leverages data-and-cloud-computing technology and financial insights to continue refining its marketing strategy in the retail and business industry.
