We all are now accustomed to encounter couple of full page newspaper ads on weekends. But, this Sunday (25th Sept), at least some of us would have felt bit emotional after reading the long copy by Uber India, titled ‘Move Forward’ on the first page of TOI. Unlike other front page promotional ads, there was something unique about this ad. Before I go on to share what I felt about this ad, it would help if you go through the copy that you probably missed noticing and/or reading!
So, after reading the above copy, what did you feel about it? Here’s my take on it.
The three paragraphs in the long copy clearly have been highlighting the three key stakeholders of the Uber India ecosystem – Uber drivers partners, riders and the community as a whole. The message was loud and clear for all stakeholders. I felt it was a great effort by Uber India to knit all three stakeholders and express their gratitude to each one of them.
Well, the story doesn’t end with just the front page ad. It follows up with a beautiful story expressed in first person (in the voice of a Uber rider) on the 2nd page. The story highlighted how a Uber partner could choose to not stretch at work and be with his family addressing their needs. This could be understood well with this video shared by Uber India on their Facebook Page.
And the end call to action of the two page ad was to share Uber story on Facebook or Twitter with hashtag – #MoveForward. A quick search of hashtag on Twitter led me to a sorry timeline with very few tweets. Couple of tweets highlighted the print ad. However, came across a tweet by Uber India, that reflected the story that was published on the 2nd page of the TOI. This tweet revealed the typo that Uber India’s long story had – girl’s named mentioned as ‘Natura’ instead of ‘Nathura’. Not sure if it was a deliberate move. And if it was one, I wouldn’t have made it to hide the identity of the girl, if her story was to be published on Twitter on same day!
Uber Partner, Daya Bethi can now find time to train his daughter, Nathura at chess. The Bethis #MoveForward. #Uber moves the Bethi family. pic.twitter.com/APzmTmYVd2
— Uber India (@Uber_India) September 25, 2016
But, why there weren’t many tweet around #MoveForward hashtag? Or did I miss them? I can’t digest the strategy that many brands tend to apply by choosing a common hashtag, viz. #MoveForward, #Chapter1 (by HCLTECH). There is a high chance that the content, brand is trying to crowdsource would get lost in the crowd of highly active hashtag. Either the hashtag has to be branded (with the inclusion of brand name) or should be unique to be noticed well by the audience.
Overall, I feel it was a great attempt by Uber India to match each media channel – Print ads, Tweets, Facebook posts etc. But its sad to see crowd not participate as much in the initiative. I have always found at least 8/10 people claim cheap rates, better Uber partners and so on. But, then where did Uber India fail to drive conversation? Does it mean the Indian crowd needs to be incentivized everytime a brand wants to run a campaign? Should the brand always take help of ‘social media influencers’ to get the hashtag trended or drive more conversations?
Leaving you with these questions to ponder upon!
Got some insights on this episode? Feel free to share in the comments section 🙂
Well said! I thought the campaign was a refreshing change from the ones we usually see. Kudos to the copywriter for writing such an engaging copy in spite of its size. Uber could have done a better job at social but considering the campaign is still live we can wait to see what’s in store.