Dive Brief:
- Uber's PR team has been pretty busy as of late. Last month, BuzzFeed's editor-in-chief caused a media uproar when he outed a top Uber official for suggesting the company would dig up dirt on journalists that critiqued the app-based taxi service. And this week, Uber—along with other web-based taxi services—was banned in Delhi when it came out that an Uber driver raped a rider. But starting Tuesday, Uber is rolling a campaign it hopes will bring some good PR: Teaming up with the No Kid Hungry Campaign.
- From Tuesday until Friday, anyone who uses Uber in the US will have the option to donate $5 to feed hungry kids.
- According to Share Our Strength CEO Billy Shore—the organization heading up No Kid Hungry—told TechCrunch that every $5 donation will amount to 50 meals for a child. That means that the campaign, which as a goal of feeding 3 million hungry kids this holiday season, will need $300,000 worth of Uber donations by Friday.
We’re joining forces with @nokidhungry to help drive out childhood hunger. http://t.co/3rmFlfLEG6 #3MillionMeals pic.twitter.com/PzYNwL0u08
— Uber (@Uber) December 9, 2014
Dive Insight:
Uber is no stranger to promotional campaigns. Just this year, users could hail an ice cream truck or a car full of kittens—but this is the first time users are able to donate directly within the app itself. To help reach the 3 million goal, Uber is also hosting UberLUNCH in 10 cities on Thursday, where users can have on-demand lunches delivered to them.
While this positive marketing campaign seems to be appropriately timed considering the recent backlash, David Plouffe, Uber's new campaign manager, told TechCrunch the campaign has been months in the making.