DRIVING DOWNLOADS: A digital poster shows an Uber ad in a London pub

Taxi hailing service Uber is running an NFC marketing campaign in more than 100 London pubs, bars and clubs to promote downloads of its app to drinkers looking to book a taxi ride home.

The 12-week campaign launched on 25 September and is being delivered via D-Media’s network of digital posters and more than 100,000 bar runners, beer mats and other promotional materials equipped with NFC tags. Customers who download the app via NFC will get £15 off the cost of their first ride.

“Advertising on D-Media’s digital posters will drive brand awareness, reminding consumers that they can order a taxi via Uber and instructing new users on how to download the app using near field communication (NFC) enabled point-of sale material,” D-Media and NFC platform provider Tamoco explain.

“The use of proximity technology in the pub and bar environment is ideal, not only because consumers have a lot of dwell time, but also because it’s a great education experience for those who may have not seen the technology being used before,” says Sam Amrani, executive chairman of Tamoco.

“With an average weekly footfall of 100,000 consumers per week, this campaign for Uber could reach over a million potential customers across the 12 week campaign,” adds Kevin Dougall, CEO of D-Media.

“Our trials to date indicate that advertising on D-Media’s digital posters can increase market share for drinks brands so we are confident that we can deliver increased booking results for Uber.”