Uber’s fifth annual Go-Get global product event announced new features coming to the rideshare and delivery platform that had users buzzing, including shared autonomous rides, price-lock passes and budgeting tools. But the launch event was limited to an in-person audience of press and influencers, so to open up the experience and mark a milestone moment, Uber took over the ground floor of the Oculus in New York City, May 14-16, with an exhibit made up of six vignettes, each highlighting a new product.
“Right now, when consumer confidence is low and life feels so overwhelming and expensive, our goal is to showcase how Uber’s products and features can help consumers save on everyday moments in an interactive and immersive way,” says Becky Katz Davis, head of consumer communications and events at Uber. “When we think about how someone would use the products in the app, we want to translate that into real life with a playful spin that underscores the practicality.”
The interactivity of the exhibits took inspiration from game shows and museums, varying from hands-on displays to larger-than-life installations—all with a call to action to explore the app. For the Ride Passes product, attendees could press a big button to see the locked-in price for frequent commute rides, like home to work or school to gym. In the Uber app, Savings Slider helps users swap items with lower-cost alternatives to stay on budget, so the team built a life-size version that participants could physically slide around to light up cheaper options. Another switch would trigger the printing of a QR code to save on the user’s next Uber Eats grocery delivery order.
The inaugural week of Uber One Member Days of exclusive promos on the app coincided with Go-Get, so the brand presented 50 of the top global deals in a multicolumn display where attendees could spin light boxes to see offers and partner products. On the other side of the wall, they could press a button to receive a special coin with a QR code to activate three free months of Uber One membership.
Located on the World Trade Center campus, the Oculus was an ideal location for the activation, Davis says. Not only is it by Uber’s New York City headquarters, the structure sees hundreds of thousands of visitors daily, including commuters, locals and tourists—plenty of organic foot traffic. The brand also invited journalists, influencers, partners and friends of the brand to experience the Go-Get pop-up.
“The Oculus is bright, white and very clean, and our activation had really fun pops of color, so you couldn’t miss it,” Davis says. “We clocked an average dwell time of seven to 10 minutes within the activation, meaning that each person spent almost two minutes at each vignette. We had lines of people signing up for Uber One during the afternoon commute hour, which also tells us that even when folks are heading home after a long day of work, they’re still keen to save and get a membership.”
In April, Uber popped up a Lost and Found activation in New York City’s Flatiron District to celebrate its ninth annual Lost & Found Index, which reveals the belongings left in drivers’ vehicles, ranging from common items like umbrellas and headphones to absurd and surprising ones like lobsters and mannequin heads.
“We are doing more and more experiential, and we’re so excited to think about these annual moments, like Lost and Found that we thought we could kick up a notch by actually having people see, touch and feel the hilarious things that people have left behind in a real, interactive way. It was such a success; we had lines down the block for hours,” Davis says. “For us, it’s even more of a proof point that it’s so important to engage with our users and customers and be creative in the different ways that we can continue to bring our products to life. We’re just getting started.”
Photo credit: Yvonne Tnt/BFA.com
