Uber Advertising sets commerce media in motion at Cannes 2026

Summary

At Cannes Lions 2026, Uber Advertising presented commerce media as a way for brands to connect with consumers across real-world journeys, from discovery and ordering to mobility and post-event decisions. Its EMARKETER session with Sarah Marzano and Kristi Argyilan framed commerce media as expanding beyond traditional retail environments, while announcements including Offsite Ads, Mobility Offers, Deal Drops, Reorder Rewards, Uber Marketing Manager, and APIs addressed what advertisers can activate and how they can manage and measure it. Programming also examined AI’s effects on search, shopping, planning, recommendations, and marketing leadership, alongside sports-fan behavior and cultural moments. Across the Uber Villa and activations involving flights, airport screens, rides, dining, boats, and shuttles, the company positioned movement as the connective thread between media, commerce, and everyday experience.

Takeaways

1. 1

   New offerings including Offsite Ads, Mobility Offers, Deal Drops, and Reorder Rewards expand the moments in which advertisers can reach consumers as they discover, ride, order, redeem, reorder, and decide.

2. 2

   Uber Marketing Manager and APIs are intended to make Uber Advertising easier for advertisers and partners to activate, manage, and measure through more connected workflows.

3. 3

   Cannes programming connected AI-assisted recommendations, sports-fan behavior, and cultural moments with the broader proposition that brands can participate in real-world consumer journeys before, during, and after key events.