Not too long after I first time checked out Uber and sitting in a limo, I've had been its best fans in the world. And not too long after I being rejected by their staffing manager for a marketing role in Shanghai, I can’t help myself thinking so much things I wish I could have done if I join the team. And the continuous self-brainstorming finally generates this whimsy wonderland for Uber.

Some people are way too genius to build the company, while some people are feeling good enough just by coming up with several crazy ideas built on the exist world.

What If I Have No Smartphone?

I have been using smartphone for 4 years so it actually took me a while to think if we need to call an Uber from webpage on laptop, what should we do? I knew most people don’t necessarily need that…But as a natural geek, I think it’s brilliant. Yikes! Uber already built that actually. Use any of your browser to go to m.uber.com and you’re on the way! But please mind you need to add you location if it’s not a portable device.

Hurray! Looking forward soon we can call Uber from more platform, such as Microsoft Outlook, Mac OS in-built map, Meetup, Wechat…Thanks to the API they offer now.

Why Uber Shall Integrate Messaging Apps?

Well it’s just so normal that the most app we use everyday is the message for daily communication. Integration not only means we can call Uber right in the messaging app, but also have fully info sharing right through your relevant network.

When Hail a car for group trip, you need to share the exact location where is car is moving / pooling to your group. Girl taking a car alone at the late night, you probably wanna share the routes right in apps with your friends and parents just like Indian does. Search the route history probably is needed when you look back for some details, who knows? Recognized you trip need right from your conversation? Works for me.

And just for a further thinking, connect with your beloved driver can be something with the help of messaging tool as well. Of course there are too much complexity on relationship between Uber and the messaging company..Partnership, competitors, or even can be the same company.

Oh btw, with the messaging app, the Uber essentially goes social — meaning everything passenger has a complete profile to target. You nerds, the ads is right coming.

How ADs Is Involved Smoothly With Good Experience?

So some smart guys already figured out how it works by giving screens to drivers in US…We called that TouchMedia in China which is AD media service you may see in original taxi on the back of the seats for back row passengers. Uber then claims this is not allowed and will take some severe measure for drivers — ceasing their digital Uber licence.

Well car can be great room for ads but guys! In digital era we need to focus on targeting. Take full advantage of the car space with magazine, book, goods, jewellery is brilliant enough but with the diversity of the rider, the final ads should target by profile (refer to the Uber messaging/social network integration). Then probably means the ads will display in your Uber interface anyway.

I'm not sure how imaginable the ad format can be. But I can think of something that will do more good than harm than me. For example: A ride take me to the shopping mall can serve some restaurant ads to me according to my taste. Not finished yet, the restaurant can offer me a 20 something coupon if I go to that night. How wonderful, the Uber sure will get some more commission, or, the restaurant can credit me next time Uber! What’s the concept called..value chain?

People Love Rewards!

Just like what flight industry does. Now we have profile and trip history, why not having us reward by accumulating the trip miles/ times/ location check in? It will only bring Uber business more good by stimulating the spending. I don’t know that probably need a model to calculate if it has a good ROI. But I just thought that might be not a good idea, it make people want to taking rides all the time to get the reward even if the ride is unnecessary.

Well how about this — only UberPool trip can accumulate credits because that’s good for the environment and traffic jam. A report shown that half Uber in San Francisco are UberPool, which is awesome.. And If I haven’t mistaken this: The service is about do more good to the people than any commercial benefits. Why not then?

Of course Uber is not stuipid about REWARDS. However it’s all about the partership so far that with air company, accomadation providers etc, which is high-end business that related to travel. Restaurant is still not in the wishlist. You can call an Uber right in Starbucks, Yelp and Eventbrite app but the value is not exchanged yet. Anyway we’ll see.

The Surging Price Myth

No One Thought Uber VI Design is Cracking Fabulous?

When Uber first time introduced to China it apparently already has a very mature visual identity package including apps interface, website layout , print and online advert colour, video frame, video intro and outro animations, PPT template, and unified goods like staff t-shirt, car gadget and almost everything. Most importantly, the whole design package is so brilliant that you could recognized it at the first sight with it’s dark deep blue and special unique Uber font.

You can feel sense of the city moves and rhythms with it, especially in the mega cities like NYC, Tokyo, Shanghai and London..It’s also a fantastic idea their design apply to every countries and cities, yet still can mix with some local culture things.

So when I applied for my marketing job, I'm impress with their website again and spend quite hours appreciating the design — Thanks to my geekinese, I force my self to make a customized resume with Uber’s design to apply. With the basic tool-kit, it took me 1 hour to finished the layout and put all the words in there. However, I failed to download their font since it’s well copyrighted lol.

Now what do you think? I still got rejected though.

Seeking Uber Community

I'm a lazy guy. Before I was about to write this blog, all I was thinking is find some insightful ideas about Uber and cope paste to my LinkedIn posts..Then what I found has disappointed me badly. There are almost none on the internet, all you can found is the stupid customer service question, coupon doubts and promotions, and the driver forum. Bunch of media is publishing tons of news about how it got banned, how business is expended and how much drivers can make in a year. But as a geek, you never know what I'm thinking: Data, innovation, and business edge in the future…

That’s right — I don’t represent any party. It’s about me: What better experience I can have as a rider and what I can think of if I'm hired by the local team. At least I always can be one of the role among them #NotTooSad

Indeed, there is a location problem. If I'm based in San Francisco and this will be a totally different story. While in China, The business is still quite new, we don’t have Uber restaurant, Uber magazine, UberRush, UberPool (we do have some stunning Uber marketing events though). Both riders and drivers are not so tech friendly.