Uber using print to attract customers

Controversial taxi service Uber, a mobile app which allows riders to connect with drivers and request a lift at an agreed rate, is using print to increase its reach to new customers. Legally Uber is not allowed to pick up passengers at taxi ranks, or be hailed on the streets, so to increase its visibility it is using direct mail to attract customers.

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Kelly Northwood, VoPP and Two Sides Australia executive director

Kelly Northwood, VoPP and Two Sides Australia executive director, says this strategy gives Uber multiple opportunities to engage with riders as print affords a much longer one-to-one dialogue. Northwood says, “Uber has recently launched a direct mail campaign to combine with its digital marketing as they see the engagement and accessibility that print affords. And she says Uber is not online among digitally driven businesses in using print to grow their market, she says, ““For similar reasons as Uber, online retailers are now the fastest growing retail sector when it comes to print media buying.” She says Uber is taking advantage of print to promote its brand and help speed the growth of the cab share service. Northwood says, “Because Uber does not have the physical store front, they use physical media to promote their stores and push consumers to online devices. There is no denying the sheer physicality of print has strong emotional connections with consumers.” “It is something that digital will never be able to compete with and maybe this is why we are seeing such a drastic decline in eReader sales and an increase in book sales after years of uncertainty for the publishing industry. “Handling a book or any piece of print is a tactile experience and not one easily replicated by digital.” The Silicon Valley taxi app recently came to Australia angering the cab industry, which says it is not safe and undercuts licensing fees.

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