Dive Brief:
- Uber Advertising is expanding campaign reach beyond its own apps for the first time, the company said in a press release.
- Offsite Ads, which are currently restricted to a handful of advertisers, will allow brands to connect with consumers on platforms such Google Shopping in order to drive users back to Uber apps. The company plans on expanding channels and functionality in the future.
- Uber has also introduced a number of other advertising tools, including branded app takeovers and mid-journey offerings. These give advertisers new ways to leverage the company’s user data both within and outside of its app ecosystem, potentially attracting new advertising partners.
Dive Insight:
Uber continues to grow its advertising business, which saw revenue totaling more than $2 billion in 2025. The new offerings could provide advertisers more ways to connect with value-conscious consumers at key decision making points. The new formats largely revolve around promotions and deals, giving advertisers a way to potentially drive and measure immediate responses. Uber is also making an effort to take advantage of rider downtime, with 81% of users saying they are open to receiving offers while riding, according to data cited in the press release.
The company's new offerings include Destination Offers, a format that connects riders with deals during their ride and is based on data showing over 50% of Uber users would make a detour to redeem an offer. Marketers will be able to determine success via in-store activity and verified arrivals.
Another new mid-ride format, Ride Offers on Journey, presents riders with offers in order to encourage click-throughs. When Miller Lite tested the format, its campaign had a click-through rate nearly 45% higher than similar non-offer creatives. The brand’s parent company, Molson Coors, is an early testing partner, using the offering during significant sporting and cultural moments.
With Homescreen Ride Offers, users can claim an offer, such as money off a ride, while viewing a branded message. Sixty-four percent of riders say discounts make them feel more positively about a brand and 65% say it captures their attention, per data cited in press materials.
On Uber Eats, marketers now have access to Brand Takeovers, a pop-up that first appears when users open the app. Item Showcase will allow brands to highlight certain menu items in a carousel, where users can add the items directly to their cart. Offer Spotlight is a full-screen ad that connects certain promos and deals with customers who are most likely to engage with it.
Advertising has become a valuable revenue stream for rideshare and delivery platforms. Uber launched Uber Advertising in 2022. Programmatic buyers gained access to Uber’s Journey Ads in 2024. In April, the company announced Instacart’s Carrot Ads platform will be integrated into its own advertising ecosystem in a play for CPG marketers.
Uber saw a Q1 revenue of $13.2 billion, a 14% year-over-year increase, per an earnings release. Trips taken during the quarter jumped 20% YoY to 3.6 billion, largely driven by a 17% growth in monthly active users.
