Ride Sharing App Heetch Is Promoting Its Rival to Tourists in Cheeky Olympic Campaign

This summer, millions of tourists from all over the world travel to the capital for a historic event. The issue of mobility in Paris is critical, and even the slightest journey can turn into a nightmare: public transport in disarray due to construction delays, metros completely full and buses running late, all while self-service bikes and scooters are in overdrive, saturated bike lanes and entire city zones closed to vehicles circulation... the summer of 2024 will be a time of anxiety for the people of Paris and the Greater Paris.

Heetch is seizing on this opportunity to show Parisians that the brand will do everything, absolutely everything, to make their lives easier. The solution? Invite the millions of tourists present in the capital to use Uber, by advertising the competitor everywhere in Paris.

To ensure maximum visibility and reach as many tourists as possible, the ride-sharing app and its agency BETC Paris have launched an integrated campaign translated in 12 languages throughout Paris, with a message that couldn't be clearer: “Dear tourists, this summer, for all your travels in Paris, Choose Uber!”.

A daring bet for Heetch, which is leaving behind thousands of potential rides, as Renaud Berthe, CMO of Heetch, points out: “This summer's sporting events represent a huge influx of passengers from the four corners of the world. It's an opportunity worth tens of millions of euros for the ride-sharing market. But at Heetch, we've chosen to sit this one out, because serving this population would degrade the quality of service for Parisians, who are an absolute priority for us, even more so in this period when we know that transport is going to be disrupted.”

“It's rare for a brand to agree to promote its competitor. But it's the most beautiful expression of love to the people of Paris. Leaving behind thousands of potential rides to ensure constant availability, all in the Heetch tone, with a campaign translated in 12 languages,” adds Olivier Aumard, executive creative director at BETC Paris.

The brand has added a QR code to all communication elements, linking directly to the Uber app download page in the App Store and Google Play.

The campaign will be displayed in all the places most frequented by tourists: airports, hotels, popular brasseries and cafés, museums, tourist attractions and Olympic venues.

Via an exhaustive media plan including out-of-home ads on the outskirts of high-traffic areas, mobile DOOHs on buses and bicycles plying the capital's hot spots, press and a myriad of tactical supports (media-tables, baguette wrappers in bakeries, pancake holders, French fry cones, etc.), the brand has one objective: to maximize the visibility of its campaign among visitors of the City of Light.

Heetch has also encouraged its own drivers and several influencers to spread the message and encourage tourists to choose Uber via social networking capsules. A keen innovator, the brand came up with the idea of translating these videos into the languages of the tourists who will be most present in the capital, thanks to the HeyGen AI.

By investing its media budget to give visibility to its biggest competitor, Heetch is reaffirming its role as a privileged partner with this bold move.