PR Strategy Brief: Uber Helicopter Rides In NYC

Uber Copter, the newest addition to NYC airspace, is planning to make its landing in July 2019. It comes at a time where there are numerous protests against helicopters because of their fumes, noise, and recent crashes in NYC. Therefore, Uber may have a difficult time with its new venture. Additionally, they may be facing competition from Airbus. Although I personally don’t think Uber Copter is a good thing, I wanted to share a possible PR strategy on how they can mitigate risks in the court of public opinion.

Please keep in mind that these are only my suggestions and that my PR strategy briefs are very short versions of a strategic communications plan. It is typically recommended that a full strategic communications plan is crafted out to optimize success.

Objective

Assure the key publics that Uber Copter is a safe option for transportation and increase awareness of the option.

Goal

Increase public opinion in a positive direction by 10% within 3 months of Uber Copter launch.

Key Publics

Uber Copter is said to be available only to Platinum and Diamond members first. From those members, key publics for a PR campaign may be consolidated to the following:

• Business/Corporate-type Uber Users

• Adventure seekers

Other key publics that should be targeted are the following:

• Environmental activists

• NYC citizens

Strategy

• Entertaining Safety Video

  • Creative safety videos for major airlines has been something I think many passengers enjoy. Utilizing this idea in a PR campaign could prove to garner some positive opinions.

• Influencer Outreach

  • Utilizing influencers is always a good idea. Business Insider could be a good reference to start in targeting the key publics. Additionally, influencers who are helicopter enthusiasts would be another good place to start. If Uber, really wants to target the adventure seekers, using someone like Jay Alvarrez could be a good decision.

• Eco-Friendly Initiative

  • In order to target environmental activists, it would be wise (perhaps for a period of time) to have an initiative where a certain percentage of the profit goes to research in developing more eco-friendly methods of transportation. Airbus is already looking into eco-friendly helicopters so I think Uber should consider this too.

Measurement

In order to measure public opinion, surveys should be conducted before and after the campaign. The surveys should target the key publics that are detailed in the full strategic communications plan.

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Photo by Brandon Jacoby on Unsplash