Week of August 8, 2016

Image Source: https://newsroom.uber.com/us-new-york/wp-content/uploads/sites/295/2015/07/uber_NYC-CT_beach-bag_blog_960x540_r2.jpg

Uber BEACHBAG

In a blog post to the newsroom on August 4 and through email blasts to users, Uber announced a surprise summer giveaway.

On Friday, August 5 from 11:00a.m. to 2:00p.m., Uber users were able to request a free beach bag delivery featuring beach gear from Uber brand partners.

Source: https://newsroom.uber.com/us-massachusetts/free-beach-bags-on-demand/

In order to receive the giveaway, users logged onto the Uber app and entered a promo code, “BEACHBAG2016” if located in Boston, Cape Cod, Fairfield County, Hartford County, Hoboken, Jersey City, Jersey Shore, Nantucket, New Haven County, New London County, Newport, Martha’s Vineyard, Portsmouth, Portland, and Providence.

Just as if they were requesting a ride, users then selected the “BEACH BAG” option in the slider, requesting an Uber brand ambassador to drop off the free gift bag at

your location.

Products in the gift bag included beach towels, sunscreen, headphones, sunglasses, coolers, protein drinks and hats. Brand partners included:

Uber did receive a lot of negative feedback on social media regarding the availability of the beach bags, many frustrated with not being able to receive one.

What this means for brands:

What this means for marketers:

Brands need to be cautious annoucing any last minute promotions or giveaways. Although these stunts could cause a lot of social buzz in a short period of time, brands need to be clear in their communications in order to set expectations with participants. In Uber’s case, the scarce availability of the beach bags could have been more clearly communicated, enticing users to compete with each other instead of infuriating those who could not get one.

Quick promotions can be very impactful if executed well. Uber was able to gain a lot of attention and participation in a short period of time, creating for an impactful campaign. Marketers should consider brand partnerships as a mutually beneficial way to leverage a campaign.