New Digital Age (NDA) in association with LiveRamp is spotlighting the men and women championing a data-led revolution in the marketing industry. The ‘Meet the Revolutionaries’ interviews focus on the efforts of the industry executives helping to drive digital marketing forward into a new era of data collaboration.
Here, Paul Wright, Head of International at Uber Advertising, offers his advice for those looking to deliver successful innovation within their own organisations…
Tell me about your current role.
I lead Uber Advertising’s international teams across EMEA and APAC, helping brands connect with our audience through Uber Eats and Uber Rides. We offer everything from high-impact brand propositions on Uber Rides to performance-driven solutions like sponsored listings on Uber Eats. My teams focus on restaurant and merchant partners, CPGs, and non-endemic advertisers looking to engage Uber’s user base in meaningful ways.
Can you give an example of a time when you personally have helped to drive innovation?
I’ve spent my career building advertising businesses within companies where ads are a secondary revenue stream – Sky, Apple, Amazon, and now Uber. The challenge is always balancing consumer expectations with advertising integration. At Uber, we’re navigating how to seamlessly introduce ads without compromising the user experience. It’s the same challenge retailers and commerce media platforms face: how do you make advertising work without disrupting the brand’s core function? It’s about innovation that enhances rather than interrupts.
What are the most common challenges to innovation?
In big companies, innovation is rarely killed by a lack of ambition. It’s often stifled by a lack of investment and long-term commitment. Many businesses want to enter new spaces, like retail media, but hesitate to fully invest in the people and infrastructure needed to make it work. If you’re going to compete with pure-play companies built from the ground up for advertising, you need to be all in. Otherwise, you fall behind fast.
What tips can you offer others hoping to drive innovation?
Hire the right people and give them the support they need. But also, make sure they’re not operating in isolation. Too often, innovation teams feel like they’re in a different room from the rest of the business, which can create resistance. The best innovations are those that integrate seamlessly into the company’s existing structure and strategy. If you’re working in a big organisation, get buy-in from across the business—it’ll make the whole process smoother and more successful.
How do you think digital marketing might evolve over the next few years?
AI is going to drive efficiency in media buying and creative execution, but efficiency doesn’t necessarily mean better marketing. The fundamentals of good communication – understanding consumers and delivering the right message in the right way – are still essential. I think we’ll see a greater balance between AI-driven automation and a renewed focus on human-led strategic thinking. Brands that invest in smart planning and comms strategy will stand out in an increasingly noisy digital landscape.
Do you think ‘data collaboration’ will become more important to marketers?
We’ve moved from a world of ‘more data is better’ to ‘the right data is better.’ The challenge now is figuring out what data points actually matter. Successful data collaboration isn’t about amassing vast amounts of information – it’s about combining the right data signals to deliver smarter marketing. A great example is our work with Pinterest around Taylor Swift concerts: we only needed two data points – the concert date and venue – to identify Uber users heading to the event and serve them relevant content. That’s smart, efficient data collaboration in action.
