It feels like ads are literally everywhere these days, probably because they are.
Facebook has them, YouTube has them, and Netflix has them. Now, it looks like Uber is getting in on the action by trialling in-car videos ads for passengers.
The 'ridesharing' (taxi) app company is already fitting tablets to its Uber cars and subjecting passengers in California to irritating video clips in a bid to make more cash.
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If trials go well, ads will be rolled out to other regions. Nowhere will be safe as advertisers are finally given the total power to come and take a gigantic steaming dump inside your brain with nonsense content and products basically anywhere they want.
Uber is calling the initiative 'Journey Ads', and they feature 40 brands so far including Heineken, NBCUniversal, and United Artists.
The company says Journey Ads will "place relevant brand content and offers in front of purchase-minded audiences as they transact through their journey", which in plain English means they'll try and flog you stuff while you have literally nowhere else to go.
Dr Grether, General Manager of Uber's ad division, said: "We have a global audience of valuable, purchase-minded consumers who, as part of our core business, tell us where they want to go and what they want to get."
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Dr Grether added: "While these consumers are making purchase decisions and waiting for their destination or delivery we can engage them with messages from brands that are relevant to their purchase journey."
It appears that the ads will be targeted to you specifically using other advertising data gathered on you from your smartphone and social media, and it doesn't look as if they're going to make ad-supported journeys cheaper despite making money off you watching them.
What could possibly go wrong? And who can possibly be excited about this?
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