Uber is an application which can be installed on both android and iOS operating systems. To travelers and passengers, it is an efficient way to move from one point to another and to drivers it is all about a referral service. This application connects taxi drivers and passengers using GPS capability. Through the application, the passenger is able to identify the closest driver, send him a message and the passenger can also know when the driver will arrive. Once the driver arrives, the passenger can also verify his identity. Normally charges are paid directly through the application which has to be linked to a credit card. The application deducts between 5 to 2o percent and then deposits the rest of the money to the driver’s bank account. The service is completely cashless. With the application, you can even as for self driving cars!
The man behind Uber
Approximately five years, Travis Kalanick launched Uber which was then a startup in the city of San Francisco. Through time, he has grown the company and it has turned to be one of the most successful in Silicon Valley. Travis Kalanick Company operates in more than 300 cities around the world in more than 58 countries.
The Forbes magazine has rated Travis Kalanick as one of the world’s billionaires with a net worth of more than $5.3 billion.
Have you heard of Uber angels and Uber kittens?
Uber angel is a service that was rolled out by Uber to cater for drivers who too many bottles than they had anticipated. This service is meant to serve you or any other driver who feels that he cannot drive his car home safely. With the service, you can contact an Uber driver to ensure that you arrive at your home safely.
Uber kittens is also one of Uber’s latest service. This service lets you order kittens for 30 dollars. You can either order them for a cuddling session where they will be returned back or even order them as a pet for yourself. This is perhaps a wake up for all cat lovers who would like to have an adorable kitten besides them.
The inside story of Uber’s rebranding
After this rebrand, many Uber users look at their smart phones and find that the logo is no longer there. Instead of the usual U logo, it has been changed to a hexagonal like symbol for drivers and a circle for a rider. Changing the colors has been perhaps the biggest effect. The colors have been changed to reflect each and every country. If you are a traveler in India you will have to contend with turquoise, in china the color is red, dark teal in the United States and several other colors for various cities. Whenever the application is opened, it will welcome you with an animated design.
In this state of confusion, many Uber users have resulted to the internet, more so social media to vent their disapproval for the logo revamp. Now that the familiar U has been replaced by another icon, many users feel that it will be difficult to identify Uber. Nevertheless, the company has defended itself and claimed that this rebranding move was meant to cement the company’s reputation and also change the way people perceive it.
However, this defense has not stopped negative chatter in social media. Many people have even opted to call this move the failure of the century.
Conclusion
As a reality, rebranding is not that easy because it involves transforming a brand. Though I am optimistic that this will work for Uber’s long term goals for global expansion, my recommendation is that they should take some steps backwards and re evaluate this rebranding. They should consider customer feedback whenever they consider redesigning their brand and then deciding what is best for their clients when it is most appropriate. Providing self driven cars is not just enough, they have a moral obligation to inform their customers and users whenever they feel that they should rebrand.
