Uber: #StandUpForSafety

In India, women’s safety remains a critical societal concern and a significant barrier to mobility. While Uber had invested heavily in product-led safety features, there was a persistent perception gap—especially among Key Opinion Formers (KOFs) such as policymakers, bureaucrats, and government stakeholders—regarding the brand’s genuine commitment to women’s safety.

Compounding the challenge was category clutter. Conversations around safety were often delivered through grave, instructional messaging that struggled to cut through the information overload faced by this audience. Research showed that KOFs, who consume high volumes of policy and state-related content, were experiencing digital fatigue, resulting in low emotional engagement and recall.

Uber needed to move beyond functional communication and reposition itself as a credible, purpose-driven thought leader in women’s mobility. The challenge was clear: break through scepticism, spark meaningful discourse, and build trust with an influence-heavy audience—without adding to the noise of predictable, somber safety narratives.

We launched #StandUpForSafety, a bold social impact campaign that used satire as a disruptive creative device to humanise women’s safety. Instead of preaching, the brand chose to provoke thought through humour—leveraging stand-up comedy by female comedians, performed on the streets rather than conventional stages.

Satire became the cultural hook, making a serious issue accessible, emotionally resonant, and highly shareable. The content was designed to spark conversation rather than instruction, positioning Uber as a brand confident enough to lead societal dialogue with nuance.

The media strategy ensured the idea reached the right people, in the right places. Pincode-level geo-targeting across Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru focused on zones of policy influence. Digital platforms trusted by KOFs—YouTube and LinkedIn—were complemented by print, geo-fenced OOH near government offices, collaborations with reputed journalists, and a women’s parliamentary roundtable to add credibility. Real-time optimisation allowed media spends and content formats to evolve based on performance, ensuring maximum impact.

In just three weeks, #StandUpForSafety delivered exceptional results and exceeded all strategic objectives:

• 100M+ views across platforms.

• 95% awareness among KOFs in target metros.

• +18 percentage point lift in brand trust.

• +15 percentage point increase in safety association.

• KOFs in campaign cities were 21 points more likely to report high exposure versus non-campaign regions.

Beyond metrics, the campaign shifted Uber’s narrative—from a transactional mobility service to a purpose-driven brand influencing public discourse. It proved that culturally relevant humour, when paired with precision targeting and technology, can drive measurable trust, reshape perception, and set a new benchmark for social impact marketing.