Loving this series Eli, can't wait for the conclusion.

I get the motivations of trying to make uber feel more local, but when has that ever really worked out for a corporation? We all know they're global. Like Starbucks trying to be 'the neighbourhood coffee shop', at the end of the day we all know what it is.

A local uber competitor has cropped up where I live (NZ), and their main marketing difference is - we pay tax. That's literally what people say about the company, they pay tax and the drivers get a fair cut. Everybody know 40% of their uber fare goes straight to the valley.

Most of my thoughts and feelings from uber are literally from what the drivers say. When they were getting setup in my city they cut prices in an attempt to get more customers, without notifying the drivers - basically meaning all drivers get paid less. Of course, they were pissed, had a huge negative effect on the brand. Nice patterns and a picture of my city in the brand isn't going to change that. Actually caring about locals makes a brand feel local.

I guess the best branding move is actually being a nice company lol.