 "Uber")
In its battle to overthrow Ola as the reigning champion of India's ride-hailing industry, Uber is looking to strike a chord with consumers with its first advertising campaign for the country, depicting instances of how its services empowers drivers and riders.
The firm says the series of ads are based on true stories it has heard from its driver partners and riders. While largely steering clear of spending on ads in its formative years, Uber seems to be pushing for better brand recognition after being singled out as the bad guy by government and traditional taxi operators.
"At Uber, we are deeply committed to enabling our driver partners to improve their livelihoods; and giving riders the freedom of mobility. In this brand campaign we have brought to life our product through stories which will resonate with millions of Indians," said Ashwin Dias, General Manager, Uber.
The campaign will be multipronged, targeting digital platforms, print and hoardings in public spaces. One of the ads focuses on how a driver is able to educate his child, owing to his better income from the platform, rather than publicising the ubiquitousness or utility of the ride hailing service.
Rival Ola which took a jab at television ads a few months ago, found itself in a tussle as people on social networks begun pointing out that the ad was sexist in nature. Unlike Uber, Ola's campaign was largely structured around the low fares on offer.
Despite this, Ola continues to lead the Indian taxi hailing sector with nearly a 60 per cent share according to market research firm RedSeer Consulting. It commands a higher mindshare among customers, especially in smaller towns, owing to it being a local company and launching in the market nearly three years prior to Uber's entry.
"Given how ubiquitous the service has become we had hundreds of ideas but we decided to go with this concept because people will be able to relate this to their own Uber experiences. It's a simple yet powerful idea," said Russell Barrett, Managing Partner and Chief Creative Officer at BBH India, the firm behind Uber's ad campaign in India.
Both Uber and Ola, whose businesses revolve around having the maximum number of drivers and riders on their platforms, continue to undercut costs of rides to customers while also incentivising drivers. Uber, which marked its exit from China after losing to Didi Chuxing, has sharpened its talons in a bid to win India at any cost.
However, both firms have run into problems with the law, as both state as well as the centre look to regulate them, curbing them from charging Surge/Peak pricing which they say helps balance the supply and demand of cabs. Heading into a legal battle in Karnataka's High Court, Ola had accused Uber of violating local laws and called it a foreign company that was here only to make profits.
With one of its key weapons taken away, Uber is now looking to change its narrative to being the good guy, while it continues to battle lawmakers and Ola in the courts.
