Uber Extends Advertising Business to Meta and Google

Advertising is becoming a more significant revenue driver for Uber than the company may have initially anticipated. 

In a recent earnings call, the company revealed that its advertising business has surpassed a US$2bn annualised revenue run rate, with the company saying the potential for this business was more significant than initially anticipated. 

Now, the company is taking advantage of that opportunity, with an expansion of its ad offerings – including the launch of ‘Offsite Ads’, which allow brands to extend their campaigns beyond Uber and reach customers on channels such as Meta and Google shopping.

According to Uber, these new ad offerings have been designed “around how people move every day,” – from turning a ride into a “memorable brand experience” to influencing consumer discovery on Uber Eats. 

“The best advertising experiences don't interrupt what riders are doing. They add value to it,” says Prashant Baheti, Group Product Manager of Uber Advertising. “Offers on Uber are built around trip context and destination signals, helping brands deliver value at the right moment—driving outsized brand recognition and real-world action.”

Building brand affinity

Research from Uber has found that  81% of US Uber users are open to offers while riding. To encourage positive brand perception for advertisers, Uber is launching sponsored upgrades – where advertisers can sponsor premium ride upgrades such as Uber Comfort or Uber Black. 

This, the company says, can help create a tangible, positive experience for riders, helping to build lasting brand affinity. In fact, 65% of users say that offers such as these grab their attention, while 64% say they make them feel more positively about a brand. 

Uber has also launched brand takeovers, item showcases and offer spotlights, designed to match relevant offers and items to customers, to help improve product discovery.

Offsite advertising

But the company’s introduction of offsite advertising – currently only available to a select group of advertisers – has been created to reach consumers earlier in the pipeline. 

With offsite ads, the company is targeting consumers based on observed behaviours, such as what they order, or how they engage with Uber. This, Uber says, allows brands to connect with consumers using signals grounded in real world activity, rather than inferred interests. 

“Offsite Ads aims to help advertisers close the gap between discovery and action,” says Zach Zorfas, Product Manager at Uber. “By extending Uber’s real-world signals across the places where consumers are already browsing, watching and engaging, advertisers can show up in more relevant moments and build a clearer connection between media investment and measurable business outcomes.”

One of the reasons advertising has been so successful for Uber is because customers are already actively making purchasing decisions the moment they enter the app. This creates a highly attentive environment for advertisers, with Uber reporting that ads on its platform generate 6.6x higher attention than other digital formats. 

Advertisements are also integrated naturally into the user experience, with 64% of weekly users saying that ads on Uber feel less intrusive on social media or utility ads, allowing brands to get further value out of their investment.