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Setting the Pace for the Industry: A Year of Strategic Thought Leadership for Uber Advertising

  • Feb 16
  • 5 min read

Updated: Mar 11


Client: Uber Advertising

Project: A Year of Strategic Thought Leadership for Uber Advertising

Our Role: PR / Content / Strategy / Events

Timeline: 2025


The Challenge

With Uber Advertising only three years into its Australian journey, 2025 presented a pivotal moment. The retail and commerce media landscape was exploding with noise, new entrants and competing narratives, all fighting to define what “good” looks like in a rapidly maturing category.

The Brief

  1. Elevate Uber Advertising’s position as an authority across retail media, commerce and cultural moments

  2. Raise the profile of APAC Head Michael Levine as a regional industry voice

  3. Bring Uber’s unique platform insights to life in ways the market couldn’t ignore

  4. Land Uber Advertising’s narrative both inside and outside traditional marketing trades, reaching new audiences and decision-makers

  5. Deliver standout moments at Cairns Crocodiles and SXSW Sydney that would shift perception at scale.

The Clear Hayes Approach

We developed a year-long program showcasing Uber Advertising’s intelligence, platform insights and leadership. Each piece served a strategic purpose and targeted a different audience.

The Work

Strategic Narrative Creation

Our first engagement was to turn a series of disparate insights into a compelling narrative for an event - in just two weeks. 


The Convenience Economy narrative was borne out of these insights, with Clear Hayes crafting a coherent and compelling story to make the business stand out.


We helped Uber source talent for its session, which was voted the best partner speech at the event.


This narrative has underpinned Uber’s work through the year and been utilised globally.



Moments with Marketers... in Ubers - A standout cultural play

Encouraging brands to think about their marketing around big cultural moments was the next challenge.


Video interview series Moments with Marketers… in Ubers was the solution - a candid interview series shot in moving cars with all the attendant challenges.


The first episodes were shot and edited in under a week to be ready for launch at industry forum Cairns Crocodiles, while on-the-ground filming at the event was turned around overnight for sizzle reels to play each morning. Check them out below.




Results

  • Created the concept and format from scratch;

  • Handpicked key marketing talent and ran all briefings, as well as coaching first-time interviewer Michael Levine to develop his video presence;

  • Managed the full production sprint - filming, editing and delivering polished episodes under strict conference deadlines;

  • Developed and executed an editorial strategy to help promote episodes after launch;

  • Coordinated amplification across LinkedIn, YouTube, B&T and Uber Advertising channels


Moments with Marketers became the talk of the conference, gaining thousands of views and repositioning Uber Advertising as a fun, smart, culturally plugged-in brand that was distinctly different from its competitors. 


High-impact op-eds that shifted industry thinking


We delivered a suite of op-eds spanning Uber’s commercial, CPG, quick commerce and retail media narratives.


These became reference points used by industry press, clients and Uber’s sales teams throughout the year.


They built a constant cadence for the brand through the year, built new spokespeople and amplified insights from events to a much wider audience.















The Quick Commerce Trends Report


Using a large, highly technical dataset developed by Uber and PHD, Clear Hayes transformed raw insights into a compelling narrative with real commercial relevance. 


  • Dug deep into the data, extracting patterns, behavioural shifts and category signals to build a narrative with real strategic weight;

  • Developed and launched the ‘Gen Uber’ framework, defining a new consumer segment that became central to Uber’s marketing and industry positioning;

  • Crafted a standout 18-page report that elevated Uber from platform utility to category thought leader, giving the business a clear, ownable point of view on the future of Quick Commerce it can use well into the future.








Cannes Lions: Elevating APAC Creativity


As part of Uber’s global visibility push, Clear Hayes curated a flagship panel at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity - the industry’s most influential global stage. We worked hands on with Uber Advertising to curate a stellar panel to standout in a busy conference schedule. 




  • Curated and secured the full panel line-up, including strategically selecting B&T editor as moderator to secure coverage both pre- and post-event;

  • Led talent briefings to sharpen messaging and prepare speakers for a high-profile global audience;

  • Shaped the narrative to spotlight the strength of Australasian creativity in a global context.


The event drew a strong crowd and generated strong coverage across B&T and Campaign Brief - two of Uber’s most influential target publications - amplifying its profile on one of the most visible global stages.




The Next Big Stage: SXSW Sydney

The success of this work led Uber to extend its partnership with Clear Hayes into its SXSW Sydney sponsorship - one of the most prominent and highly-attended conferences in Australia. We worked with Uber Advertising to maximise its sponsorship of this event by:


  • Finalising talent for a one-on-one interview with Michael Levine, eventually landing global superstar Tyra Banks, leading the event to be hosted on a much bigger stage than originally slated;

  • Working closely with Michael Levine for the headline conversation and developing questions for the session and providing coaching and guidance for him ahead of the session with a global superstar in front of nearly 3,000 people.


This cemented Uber’s reputation as a high-impact brand able to show up at the biggest cultural moments with credibility and personality.


The Impact

Across the full partnership, Clear Hayes delivered measurable momentum for Uber Advertising: 

  • Seven editorial features across the Moments with Marketers amplification, including high-performing B&T coverage;

  • 16,115+ video views across the Moments with Marketers series

  • High attendance at live events including Cannes Lions, Cairns Crocodiles and SXSW Sydney, with the sponsorships becoming standout and talked-about moments for audiences;

  • Strategic placements outside the marketing industry, expanding Uber’s audience reach through QSR media channels;

  • A flagship Quick Commerce Trends Report, now used as a foundation for Uber’s CPG narrative; 

  • Elevated profile for Michael Levine, culminating in a standout Perspectives feature, increased industry presence and a successful SXSW Sydney headline appearance;

  • Commercial impact, with a substantial new partnership about to come online with one of our guests from across the year

Why it Matters

Together, these initiatives didn’t just raise Uber Advertising’s profile - they gave it a coherent, recognisable industry voice, distinct point of view and real leadership presence in a crowded market. 


Clear Hayes helped Uber Advertising lead the conversation in 2025 - and there's more to come in 2026.



Client Quote

Clear Hayes came into the Uber Advertising business at pace, quickly getting up to speed and delivering against tight deadlines from day one. Their agility and ability to learn fast was greatly supported when they were able to help sharpen our local market position in an increasingly cluttered advertising landscape. They’ve become a natural extension of our lean trade marketing team, seamlessly supporting both our strategy and execution. Their guidance has shaped our go-to-market narratives, event talk tracks, and their creativity and production skills helped bring to life Moments with Marketers in Uber Rides, a video content series that started here in Australia and has now been adopted globally. They’ve also supported us in crafting thought leadership press moments and our first white paper and trend report, no small task. Throughout it all, the team has been thoughtful, patient and deeply collaborative. Beyond the work itself, Clear Hayes have opened doors to new client relationships that have since grown into major partnerships for Uber Advertising. We’re proud of what we achieved together in 2025, and we’re excited to continue raising the bar for trade marketing with Clear Hayes in 2026.

Jessica Phelps

Industry Marketing Lead, ANZ

Uber Advertising



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