Getting to work shouldn’t feel like work, but so often it does. Between sweaty bodies crowded into a subway car and thighs sticking to the plastic seats, there must be a better way. In the summer of 2016, there was—$5 Pool during commute hours. Uber decided to make a big out-of-home play and saturate Manhattan with everything from a digital billboard to storefronts and a station domination. We wanted to offer New Yorkers a moment of respite from the oppressive heat and humidity (or tease them with a view of a better way to work) by plastering Manhattan with images of beautiful swimming pools and splashy headlines. We created custom lettering and shot the lines in huge tanks of water. Awareness of the summer special was high and our CEO called it some of the best work he’s ever seen at Uber. This campaign really broke the mold of what advertising could look like for the brand. We also broke one of the water tanks.
