The new development is the result of a deal inked between the popular ride-hailing app and out-of-home ad tech company Adomni. The new business unit for Uber will be dubbed Uber OOH.
The initiative marks the first time Uber will allow a company-wide ad-sponsored program of its own. However, individual drivers could always install ads previously using third-party companies like Firefly.
The agreement doesn’t leave drivers out of the loop, either. In a pilot program, Uber and Uber Eats drivers in Atlanta, Ga., Dallas, Texas, and Phoenix, Ariz. are being paid $300 to participate in the program and will earn an extra $100 each week they drive with the displays for more than 20 hours total. After April 1, drivers will be paid based on how many hours they drive.
Until May 1, advertisers can only buy directly through the Uber OOH website. Still, after that, the service will be available on the main Uber site and on Adomni’s as an option alongside the other services Adomni offers. By Q3 this year, advertisers will be able to purchase space via major platforms like Zeta Global and Amobee, connected through Adomni’s Neon Ad Exchange.
Adomni introduced vehicle-topper ads in 2016 for taxi cabs in Las Vegas, but this venture will be Uber’s first foray into the field.
The goal, according to Adomni chief executive Jonathan Gudai, is to introduce a new kind of ad experience that allows advertisers to reach customers innovatively.
Uber has also recently re-entered the Colombian market with a new service idea allowing people to rent drivers and cars by the hour or in other fashions.
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