UberLIVE! leveraged the anticipation of this world-renowned music festival to engage and impact Chicagoans, drive Uber app activity and boost brand awareness and sentiment in person and on social channels.
UberLIVE! was a mobile pop-up concert series featuring six popular bands – Phantogram, The Kooks, RAC, Wildcat! WildCat!, Bombay Bicycle Club and Into It. Over It. To get in on the fun, Uber customers could request a free on-demand concert by opting in through the brand app, at which point a free show was brought to them.
Of course, every activation comes with a series of unique challenges – but the important thing is knowing how to maneuver around any setbacks to deliver a valuable, impactful experience. How did Switch bring UberLIVE! to life despite the obstacles?
Challenge 1: Protect the element of surprise
The first challenge we faced was how to keep the element of surprise while maintaining control over the activation. A site check at every location the traveling stages visited would help to feel out traffic patterns, determine the most direct route and identify the easiest way to enter and exit. However, had we rolled up to every designated stop ahead of the stages, we might have blown the surprise that was coming their way. Instead, we stayed within a fairly tight radius and limited our performance locations.
Challenge 2: Managing the crowd and obeying the law
The UberLIVE! activation did not require city permits because it took place primarily on parking lots surrounding Lollapalooza, where we received permission from the lot owners. However, performances could not disturb traffic patterns or crowd sidewalks and streets. This wasn’t a problem for our pop-up shows, as we formatted them to be a quick in-and-out experience, limiting performances to about 15 minutes.
Challenge #3: Mother Nature
Weather is the one factor everyone in our business wants to control but can’t, no matter how many times we open and compare our weather apps. For UberLIVE!, we were extremely lucky to have Mother Nature on our side. The entire activation depended upon dry weather. With two open stages, our crowds stood outside and our chase vehicles were full of audio equipment. A contingency plan was a necessity, in case the weather didn’t cooperate.
UberLIVE! was an exciting, innovative and collaborative project. We helped create unforgettable experiences for concertgoers and brands alike. To learn more about this activation, check out our UberLIVE! case study.
Get in touch with Kimmy to learn how your brand can implement a killer activation. Email her at KimmyF@theswitch.us.
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