Uber courts Northern England in its own blunt voice — 'Alright our Uber'

Uber was already available across the North of England, yet growth data pointed there because people were not using it: research found emotional attachment to local taxi brands and a misperception that Uber was a 'London Thing'. Rather than advertise from outside, Uber and Mother London chose an 'inside the North' strategy built on shared identity and humour.

The campaign idea was simple: show that the nearest Uber driver is only minutes away. Films directed by Max Sherman through Somesuch paired tongue-in-cheek scenes of Northerners stubbornly battling bad weather and missed buses with the true average arrival time, so the availability claim landed as comedy rather than sales talk.

The push ran across TV, out of home, press, radio, social and display in 14 towns and cities. Media agency PHD made it hyper-local: geo-targeted out-of-home showed live ETAs at key pickup points, bespoke murals celebrated local culture, and Uber-branded beer mats appeared in pubs — all using northern dialect, photographers and crews so nothing felt borrowed.

Over the 11-week campaign brand favourability in the target areas rose 20%, first trips grew 12% and overall trips increased 6.6%, with a significant rise in incremental trips. The work earned a Gold Effie at the 2025 Effie Awards UK and a Smarties X Global Silver for making local media 'Uber contextual'.