Viewswagen Puts Ads in Uber, Lyft Cars

Interactive digital video advertising is well established in taxis.

Now, it’s coming to popular on-demand ride-sharing services, including Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and Flywheel, courtesy of a new company called Viewswagen, set to launch nationally on May 1.

Viewswagen installs tablets in ride-sharing cars at no cost to the owner-drivers. The company then analyzes the passenger’s trip intent and demographic profile using its proprietary software and determines what ads to display, including direct calls to action for local businesses.

Passengers can also provide personal contact information and ask for more information about special offers and discounts.

Currently in beta with ride-sharing drivers in Minneapolis, the service auctions and delivers ads in real-time. On the driver side, it offers a flat payment of up to $3 per hour on top of the fees they make from working for the ride services.

It’s worth noting Viewswagen has yet to win official approval from the ride-sharing services. Drivers may be leery of installing the tablet displays, at least until the company is granted approved partner status.

The idea of Uber entering an official partnership isn’t totally implausible, however, as the ride-sharing service has shown itself open to alliances with advertisers in recent months. Last week, YP announced that it will incorporate on-demand Uber ride-hailing into its local listings, so consumers can locate a business and arrange a ride to visit it right away.

The service is available for the YP app on both Android and iOS. YP hopes the deal — Uber’s first API integration with a local search site — will boost traffic to local businesses ranging from movie theaters to hardware stores.

Article Source: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/247732/viewswagen-puts-ads-in-uber-lyft-cars.html