In a recent article for the San Jose Mercury News, Patrick May (@patmaymerc) discusses the wave of copycats creating an “Uber for X” model who are rushing to carve out their niche. As he puts it, “We have become the Uber of Uber-obsessed nations.”

There’s a large gap in the understanding of the sharing economy. Either people are extremely well-informed or they give the “deer-in-the-headlights look.” But as soon as the word “Uber” is mentioned, everyone suddenly gets it. Uber, currently valued at $50 billion and operating in 61 countries, has evolved its definition into “a superlative example of its kind or class.” More than just an example of seamless transactions, Uber has become a key marketing tool.

The possibilities of “Uber for X” are now plentiful -- there’s an Uber for party planners (GigSalad), Uber for real estate (SQFT) or even Uber for storage units (SpareFoot). Startups and their marketing teams are Uberizing their sales pitch as if it’s the password to profits.

However, there are pitfalls to this Uberization. Uber, despite its vast popularity, has been tackled by legal obstacles and PR disasters. As marketing professor Buford Barr stated, “Everything hasn’t been a bed of roses for Uber.” For example, Corey Brundage, founder of Honk, used to refer to his company as the “Uber of roadside assistance.” But as he says, “better avoid that Uber comparison. Because the minute you tell potential investors that you’re ‘the Uber of X,’ they immediately start worrying about the negative connotations, like how are you classifying your employees.”

Similarly, Mark Steiner of GigSalad now believes that it is the non-Uber marketing that adequately describes to customers what the company actually does. However, he’s not totally opposed to this piggyback-style marketing. “I hope someday to hear someone say, ‘We’re the Gigsalad of whatever,’ he says, “because that’ll mean I’ve arrived.”

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