Attention can be a fickle thing, and thanks to technology the average human attention span is now estimated to 8.25 seconds – that’s less than your common goldfish.
It’s a problem much of adland is battling with, and ride-sharing app Uber is no different. Coupled with the fact that people are now exposed to roughly 10,000 ads every day – how on earth do brands and advertisers break through the wall of visual noise that has built up around consumers?
According to Uber’s head of advertising Paul Wright, it is by creating seamless experiences for customers – and given the ride-sharing app’s immense success over the past decade, we should be inclined to believe him.
But how exactly does Uber create this ‘seamless experience’ designed to capture hold consumer attention? Unsurprisingly, the key is both relevance and personalisation.
Getting personal
Due to its unique operating model, Uber is able to gather a vast amount of personal information on its customers that is freely given each time they use the app. It knows where they live, where they work, what food they like to eat and even what hobbies/activities they like to participate in.
Speaking at this year’s MAD//Fest in London, Wright revealed that these unique data sets are what enable Uber to make sure that a brand’s message not only reaches its customer, but that it resonates with them to boot.
With around 150 million active users, spanning 10,000 cities in 72 countries – who between them are taking up to 28 million trips each day – it isn’t hard to see why Uber is such an attractive proposition for advertisers.
By leveraging those specific data sets, Uber is able to identify pivotal moments in a customers’ journey, helping it find the ideal points at which users will be the most receptive to a timely, carefully curated, advertising nudge.
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By using four key in-journey data points, Uber is able to build a comprehensive picture of the customer wants and needs.
For example, their historical data shows where they’ve been before and where they frequently travel to. Real-time data relates to the ongoing ride, behavioural data will take in to account what they order and when they usually do it, and contextual data will take into account the type of ride or order being placed.
Hitting Uber’s sweet spot
Uber has also has a significant advantage over its competitors in that it knows its users are generally receptive to ads. Its own research indicates that – compared to the average internet user – they are 20% more likely to be receptive to video ads, 30% more likely to use video to learn about brands and are 20% more receptive to mobile ads.
Why are Uber users so receptive to ads on the platform? Simply put, because the brand gets it right. It places the right ads at the right time for the right consumer, which avoids ad fatigue and drives greater recall.
According to its own stats, around 60% of all Uber users can recall seeing an add on the app. This number rises to 67% for Gen Z, but drops to 48% for Gen X and Boomers.
Per category, more than two-thirds (67%) of users could remember seeing an entertainment ad on the app, with this number falling slightly to 60% for GPG, 48% for travel, 46% for restaurants and 27% for tech and telco.
It’s simple really. If advertisers want to get it right, they need to listen – really listen – to the consumer. Personalisation and relevance are key, who would have thought?
