Starting this week in NYC, you can grab a copy of Uber’s new in-car magazine, called “Arriving Now,” from the seat-back pockets.
A new print publication isn’t exactly a revolutionary move (airlines have been rocking inflight magazines for a while), but Uber has an interesting opportunity here to test the content waters.
Uber detailed what the magazine would look like in a blog post:
In celebration of Fashion Week (which kicks off today in NYC), Arriving Now’s first edition is packed with pro tips, hotspots, and exclusive details about upcoming promotions. You may also recognize cover girl Olivia Palermo, one of NYC’s more influential fashionistas, who dishes on her favorite shops, trends, and love of New York inside Arriving Now.
At face value, it seems like kind of a funny move for them to get into the truly burgeoning print journalism market, but there are a ton of different directions that this could be taken.
Uber is probably more interested here in testing out a content arm where they can push out cool stories that gives people a better “brand experience” with the company.
Though most people probably spend their time on a phone in the back of an Uber regardless, seat-back, always-on touch screens could probably be coming soon enough to a car near you, allowing users more ways to interact with Uber’s continually growing on-demand services that don’t necessarily involve getting people from place-to-place.
Ubering back from work? Well this screen already knows where you’re headed, so it could offer a seamless way for you to get takeout from Uber Eats headed your way to meet you at home.
As Uber’s range of services grow, having a captive audience in the backseat that the company already knows a decent amount about will likely give them quality information to target their new services and ads.