Uber Advertising took to Sydney’s rough seas on Thursday evening, channelling Uber Boat, as it demonstrated that the advertising business is “doubling down” on the fan experience. While Sydney’s weather was anything but calming, Uber Advertising was keen to show that it’s smooth sailing for its clients heading into 2027.
Setting the tone for Uber’s “golden bet” on sports fandom was Ashan Khan, director of global agency partnerships. Stepping onto the stage, he outlined the opportunities for brands around massive moments.
For Uber, it sees a massive spike in its customer usage around the Superbowl every year. Even so, Khan told around 300 clients and media buyers at the Accelerate upfront that Uber sees about a 14-15 per cent increase in daily rides on Superbowl Sunday globally compared to its January daily average. Similarly, Uber Eats also sees about a 19 per cent increase in deliveries and a 30 per cent increase in grocery orders.
That spike in usage goes beyond just game day.
“We see ride volume increase on Super Bowl Sunday, and then similarly, we see it happen the next day. People are going to the airport to return back to their normal lives. We also see grocery orders pick up and increase the the day after and the week after,” said Khan.
Building on the sports fandom and the opportunity for brands to score off it was Erin Holt, head of strategic verticals (non endemic) AUNZ. Taking Khan’s Superbowl example into the Australian market she explained that as Aussies “we don’t just watch it, we live and breathe it”. And Uber sits “before, after and beyond the match”.
“The opportunity for brands goes well beyond the game itself, because for fans, sport is a whole series of rituals. They’re heading to the game. You might be doing a half-time pre-order. You might be meeting with friends to be celebrating, or even commiserating. And Uber naturally sits across all these moments,” said Holt.
B&T braved the rough seas to chat to Initiative’s CEO Andrew Cambridge, head of investment at EssenceMediacom Sydney Katherine Pochroj and Mayra Godwin SPEED’s investment manager around Uber’s sporting intent.
For the newly minted Initative CEO, “sports is woven so deeply into the fabric of Australia, to extend the narrative to the journey there and home seems only natural.”
This sentiment was echoed by Pochroj: “Doubling down on the fan experience is an absolutely golden bet for them to be making and very much aligns with the cultural importance of events to Australians into the audience itself.”
“Advertisers absolutely see the benefit”
Uber Advertising announced several additions and extensions designed to help brands attract attention, prompt action and connect campaign activity with business outcomes.
Uber are giving brands the chance to activate at pick-up and drop-off, or as Uber has attempted to call it “PUDO”.
Halt sold it to clients and buyers by saying: “Imagine you’re one of those thousands heading to a stadium. You’re there for a big game, you’re in the back of an Uber, it could even be a concert or a festival. Imagine that experience becomes, or the arrival becomes the experience, and you can now do that via Creative Studios.”
Cambridge quite liked PUDO regardless of its name.
“Innovation in this space to give clients ownable moments will always stand out. Being a memorable part of the journey (from pick up / drop off and test drives to journey takeovers) give brands a rich way to integrate their distinctive brand assets into key consumer moments,” he said.
PUDO coincides with the newly launched Homepage placement that gives brands a high-impact opportunity to reach customers from the moment they open the Uber app. For brands looking to cut through during Australia’s packed sporting calendar, it provides a prime opportunity to get in front of fans before they head to the game, the pub or a mate’s house for kick-off.
Redirect takes that a step further, giving customers the option to change their original drop-off location and travel directly to an advertiser’s store or venue. For sporting brands, that could mean turning a fan’s journey into a trip to a sports bar, retail store or activation. Brands will also be able to serve real-time vouchers to customers near a storefront, giving fans another reason to make the detour.
These announcements centred around sport grabbed the attention of Pochroj.
“Uber has made the exceptional choice to double down in this space cultural events and the relevance of moments to Australian into something that advertisers absolutely see the benefit and the ROI and Uber making it easier for brands to access those moments in culture will only benefit how they show up within the Australian ecosystem,” she said.
Uber is also introducing new Curated Private Marketplace (PMP) deals, bundling its highest-attention video surfaces to simplify setup and help programmatic buyers get campaigns into market faster. With brands battling for attention around major sporting moments, the offering gives advertisers a more streamlined way to secure premium placements while fans are glued to the action.
And for CPG, alcohol and retail advertisers, Circana measurement is set to launch before the end of 2026, giving brands an independent view of how Uber campaigns affect in-store sales. For advertisers spending big around sporting events, it could help connect the excitement and engagement of a campaign with what ultimately matters at the checkout.
And expanding in 2027 is Journey Takeovers, an exclusive format allowing one advertiser to take over the Uber Rides journey, with the format available a maximum of four times per country each year. For brands looking to make a major splash around a sporting moment, it offers the chance to turn the trip itself into part of the campaign.
As well, Uber can also build bespoke pick-up and drop-off activations around key venues, sponsorships and major events through its Uber Creative Studio. That could give brands a way to connect their sponsorship rights with the physical journey fans are taking to and from the action, rather than leaving the partnership confined to the stadium or broadcast.
Branded Cars, recently introduced in ANZ, combine branded rider experiences with an out-of-home presence, while Sponsored Upgrades allow brands to give selected customers an upgrade to Comfort or another premium ride option at a relevant moment. For a major sporting event, that could turn the journey to the game into a small but memorable part of the overall fan experience.
Then there is sampling, which brings product trials directly into the Uber experience and can be amplified through content and experiential activations. Destination Offers can also serve customers relevant offers based on where they are heading, creating another opportunity for brands to turn a fan’s destination into a commercial moment.
For SPEED’s investmest manager, two formats excites her in 2027. “The brand sponsored upgrade and the Sampling are great ways to not only build awareness but also create impact and recall across Uber users.”
Even so, she declared that the announcements “definitely creates more opportunities to test new formats for our clients.”
Fan experience packages
To tie the whole sporting theme together, Uber attempted to knock its clients out of the park with new Fan Experience packages, bringing these formats together around the sporting and cultural moments that matter most to Australians.
The packages will include tiered options allowing advertisers to secure a share of voice around key occasions, alongside bespoke activations incorporating journey takeovers, branded vehicles, sampling, offers and experiences at pick-up and drop-off points.
The packages are designed to connect with the entire fan experience – from planning, shopping and travelling to a venue through to ordering during the event, celebrating afterwards and travelling home.
Pochroj wrapped up the evening nicely.
“Uber if anything showcased just an evolution on their ads product in Australia and they really showcased that they no longer sit at the intersection between brand performance and non-endemic, but that they really are a product and an option for any advertiser that wants to utilise cultural moments and connection fuelled by data.”
