RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA – Uber Advertising is redefining what contextual and commerce media can deliver as brands look to connect more meaningfully with consumers in moments that matter. In this conversation at the Beet Retreat LA, Kristi Argyilan, global head of advertising at Uber Advertising, outlined how real-time signals, first-party data collaboration and AI are converging to make advertising more relevant, immersive and effective.
Argyilan noted that contextual advertising, once seen as a fallback when strong data was unavailable, has evolved into a sophisticated approach powered by live behavioral signals.
Today, she said to Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan, advertisers can understand what people are doing in the moment: what they are watching, where they are going or what they are trying to accomplish. With those signals, it’s possible to insert brands directly into that experience.
“Our ability to insert advertising and brands into that moment makes it so much more powerful and so much more relevant for a consumer,” she said, adding that it also helps brands forge a clearer connection between consumer intent and brand presence.
Moving into the upper funnel
That immediacy is reshaping commerce media beyond its traditional performance roots. Argyilan described a shift toward full-funnel strategies that blend brand storytelling with action. While strong creative narratives remain essential to building brands, she emphasized the importance of showing up at the right time and place.
At Uber, that includes formats such as JourneyTV, which consists of video screens inside vehicles that deliver content tied to the rider’s specific trip, as well as custom executions from Uber’s Creative Studio that merge digital and physical experiences.
Those blended journeys reflect how “Gen Uber,” as Argyilan calls Uber’s users, make decisions quickly. Consumers often act on digital prompts so they can move seamlessly into real-world experiences, whether that means going to an event, sampling a product in-car, or encountering a brand activation at their destination.
“This blending of what they want to get done from a digital perspective and creating these beautiful experiences is a big piece of our proposition,” she said.
Shifting attitudes on data
First-party data plays a critical role in making personalized experiences possible, but Argyilan argued the industry’s mindset has shifted. Instead of trying to own or acquire more data, brands are increasingly focused on collaboration.
Clean-room and data collaboration platforms, such as LiveRamp, allow companies to co-create audiences and enable measurement without compromising trust.
“We stopped trying to own data,” she said, noting that collaboration benefits not just brands but also consumers, who receive more relevant advertising and offers as a result.
Creativity, meanwhile, is being accelerated by artificial intelligence. Argyilan explained that AI enables the production of a far broader pool of creative assets than was previously possible, allowing advertisers to test and optimize execution at scale.
The result is better performance and more personalized messaging. Beyond sheer volume, AI is helping marketers decide what kind of message to deliver, whether a promotional offer, a price cue or a high-touch brand engagement, based on where a consumer is in their journey.
As a platform built on real-time intent signals, Uber is positioning itself to take advantage of even more advanced predictive intelligence. Argyilan pointed to emerging technologies that can analyze the content someone is consuming moment by moment and, with the help of AI, interpret emotional and contextual cues.
That opens the door to dynamically generated ads that match a consumer’s mindset in real time. While infrastructure challenges remain, she said Uber is already focused on helping brands understand and experiment with the signals available to them.
Outlook for commerce media
Looking ahead, Argyilan advised brands to think of commerce media as a way to help consumers complete tasks, not overwhelm them. When used thoughtfully, it can remove friction from everyday life, whether by delivering the right products to finish a home project or enabling an experience with minimal effort.
“Commerce media has the ability to be a solution and also just to help people get stuff done,” she said. As that role expands, she expects commerce media to become an even more powerful part of the advertising landscape.
