Oh 'hell no' Uber, 'Wife Appreciation Day'?

Oh ‘hell no’ Uber, ‘Wife Appreciation Day’?

Uber’s sorry, very sorry.

Again.

This time the ride-sharing giant’s sorry for a promotional campaign in Bangalore that saw it sending text messages offering a discount to “husbands” for its Uber Eats food deliver service.

The text offered a gentle reminder to men that it’s “Wife Appreciation Day”.

And how better to appreciate your wife? Order some takeout!

“Let your wife take a day off from the kitchen” the Uber campaign further read, before going on to offer a discount to users.

Uber later tweeted that the campaign had been removed and “we apologise”.

How the hell did it even happen? Especially at a tech company that’s seen a parade of senior executives leaving the company following a damning sexual harassment review?

Take some comfort in the fact that when Uber’s new chief brand ambassador Bozoma Saint John was alerted to the campaign, she was swift in her response: “Oh hell no,” she tweeted. “This is completely unacceptable. Will take care of this.”

And according to reports, the Uber campaign was not picked up in the local media, nor did it create much pickup on social media.

Saint John started with Uber in June as the company’s first chief brand officer. She describes herself as being a “force of nature in fierce stilettos”. She’s also tweeted regarding her appearance at an upcoming Harvard Business review conference that she “has a lot to say #gimmethemic” regarding the future of Uber.

She was previously the head of global consumer marketing for Apple Music, where she launched a number of powerful partnerships, including with Taylor Swift, and is credited with helping the streaming platform hit 20 million subscribers. Last year, she was named executive of the year at Billboard’s Women in Music awards.

Saint John recently told Fast Company that her plan for Uber involves helping “people to see the humanity in tech” and that she sees similarities between her time in music and her new role at Uber. “Music inspires some feeling in you,” she said. “That’s the same way I think about Uber.”

Uber clearly needs the help.

 

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