2. About the company
Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation network
company (TNC) offering services that include peer-to-peer ridesharing, ride service
hailing, food delivery, and a bicycle-sharing system. The company is based in San
Francisco and has operations in 785 metropolitan areas worldwide. Its platforms
can be accessed via its websites and mobile apps.
As of 2019, Uber is estimated to have 110 million worldwide users a 69.0% market
share in the United States for passenger transport, and a 25% market share for
food delivery. Uber has been so prominent in the sharing economy that the
changes in industries as a result of it have been referred to as uberisation, and
many startups have described their products as "Uber for X".
3. Social Media Objectives
In 2019, Uber’s main goals to be achieved through social media strategy are to
increase app downloads and increase the number of users directed to the website
via social media platforms.
Increase website traffic from facebook by 20%.
Increase youtube viewership and app downloads from youtube by 40%.
Create more videos encouraging app downloads.
Increase the amount of followers on twitter, Instagram, and linkedin to 1million.
Ensuring trust and brand loyalty.
4. Strategies
Paid- every Friday and Saturday at 12pm or later boost Facebook posts to remind
app users about happy hours, and to be safe and take a uber. The post must have a
minimum organic reach of 3000 with at least 200 comments and 100 shares.
Owned- introduce the #UberRides to incite user-generated content in the United
States by sharing about a ride they took with friends. The winner receives a three
day trip to New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles or New Orieans.
Earned- use the celebrity status of three Instagram and twitter influencers and
encourage a scavenger hunt in their native hometown.
7. Creative social marketing
Though Uber is a service for everyone, the younger generation, specifically millennials,
use it the most. Uber knows that millennials are also the largest demographic on social
media, so it has a highly creative marketing strategy.
As an example, Uber used national cat day to gain some leverage with its social
following. Partnering with Cheezburger and local animal shelters, Uber launched a social
campaign in which consumers could request a kitten for 15 minutes of petting.
For a fee of $30 per 15 minutes, drivers picked up kittens from local animal shelters and
delivered them to payees. After compensating the driver for his or her time, the
remainder of the money was donated to shelters.
The campaign was wildly successful. It raised $17,000 for animal shelters while
spreading the word that Uber is an innovative, fun, and caring corporation that’s worth
supporting. The campaign was buzzworthy and set up Uber for even more followers and
clients.
With this kind of marketing, it’s not that surprising that Uber has done so well in a
relatively short time. Any organization with such a strong understanding of its target
customers, with a focus on quality service, can deliver similarly powerful results.
8. Social Media Campaigns
1. Uber: #BeyondFiveStars
Uber is putting the spotlight on its top-performing drivers with its new
campaign, beyond 5 stars, a reference to the rating system in the ridesharing app.
In 2016, Uber launched Compliments, a feature that allows riders to write custom
reviews for their drivers. For the campaign – which coincided with National
Compliment Day – Uber handpicked some of the most complimented drivers in its
database and profiled them with documentary-style video shorts.
Take this one about Fred, an 82-year-old driver from Seattle, who’s garnered
Compliments like, “One of the most friendly people I have ever met. Not just as an
Uber driver but as a person.”
Uber encouraged riders to share a compliment with their drivers and post some of
their stories on social media with #BeyondFiveStars.
9. 2. Weight Watchers: DJ Khaled
On January 1, Weight Watchers announced that music producer and recording
artist DJ Khaled would be its official social media ambassador. DJ Khaled is
social users to follow his weight loss journey as he documents his progress on
Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook – where he has over 20 million
followers combined.
The campaign helps Weight Watchers expand beyond its Oprah influencer
partnership and reach younger and more social savvy audiences. After all, DJ
Khaled is already known as the “King of Snapchat,” having created ads for
organizations like Nike and the MTV Video Music Awards.
As part of this partnership, DJ Khaled will also help promote Weight Watchers’
WW Freestyle program, an expansion of the SmartPoints system, which
recommends healthy “zero-points” foods for Weight Watchers customers. As DJ
Khaled’s custom landing page states, “The WW Freestyle™ program gives me
balance between my busy lifestyle and health. I can go back-to-back from the
studio to business meetings, be there for my son Asahd, and still keep my new
habits.” He then invites viewers to join him on the program and try a week for
10. 3. Red Stripe: Jamaican Bobsled
Red Stripe, the number one beer in Jamaica, came to the rescue this month for a
team of Olympians.
Just days before the women’s bobsled competition began in PyeongChang,
Korea, Jamaica’s coach Sandra Kiriasis left over a dispute about her title. And
she leased the bobsled, she wouldn’t return it to the team unless they bought it
from her. Without missing a beat, the Red Stripe USA Twitter account swept in
a huge offer. They’d buy the bobsled – which costs a whopping $50,000 – so the
women could compete.