To build buzz for the September 16 premiere of Boardwalk Empire's third season, HBO partnered with GPS-enabled car service Uber to provide free rides in a fleet of vintage vehicles. The "Take a Ride, Boardwalk Empire Style" promotion on September 13 and 14—created by the network's social partner, BLT Communications, with help from experiential agency Magnetic—saw 1920s-era Packards, Cadillacs, and Rolls Royces pick up passengers using Uber's smartphone app and chauffeur them around Manhattan.
Drivers dressed in Prohibition-style garb added to the experiential stunt, and iPads in the cars themselves showed recaps and previews of the series for the riders. As an added incentive for consumers to share the experience on social media channels, HBO offered photo ops with the cars and encouraged riders to post images on Twitter and Instagram using the #BoardwalkRide hashtag and HBO's handle.
