Uber has found a new way to demonstrate that traveling without driving opens up different possibilities. Under its creative platform “Can’t Do That If You’re Driving,” the company launched “Backseat Arcade,” a gaming experience integrated directly into its app that allowed passengers to play during their journeys and earn real rewards.
The initiative, developed together with EssenceMediacom, Livewire and Special, was active for two weeks in Australia at the end of last year. Through Uber’s own application, users could access a small arcade with three classic games – Snake, Meteors and Brick Breaker – selected for their simplicity and for fitting into the usual duration of an urban trip.
By playing, passengers competed for scores and unlocked discounts of up to 30%
The mechanics turned travel time into an active experience: by playing, passengers competed for scores and unlocked discounts of up to 30% on future trips. The approach thus reinforced the central message of the platform: there are things, like playing, relaxing or being entertained, that are only possible when you are not behind the wheel.
Usage data shared by Uber Australia reflects the impact of the proposal. Nearly 20,000 users participated in the experience and Snake established itself as the most popular game, accounting for more than half of the games. The average game duration exceeded four minutes and 90% of participants played for more than one minute, with 3,000 repetitions and almost 8,000 promotional coupons won and redeemed.
“With Backseat Arcade we made our platform come to life at the exact moment of the trip, reminding Australians of everything that can happen when you don’t drive”explains Dan Greenberg, Marketing Manager at Uber Australia. From EssenceMediacom, Marine Turner, Head of Strategy in Sydney, emphasizes that the key was to go beyond the traditional scope and create an immersive experience that made trips “most memorable and rewarding”.
For Adam Fischer, General Manager APAC at Livewire, the activation demonstrates the potential of gamification to generate relevant brand touchpoints, while Simon Gibson, Group Creative Director at Special, defines it as a “simple and honest demonstration of the campaign insight.”
With “Backseat Arcade”, Uber has turned the everyday gesture of looking at your phone in the back seat into tangible proof of its positioning: the true freedom of travel lies in everything you can do when someone else drives for you.
