Confused celebrities eat strange things in Uber Eats’ Super Bowl spot via Special US + Australia
Uber Eats has revealed its Super Bowl commercial created by Special US and Special Australia, following a teaser released last week starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
In the most public of environments—the Super Bowl—Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow nibbles on a candle associated with her most intimate part, her “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle. She’s one of the many celebrities eating things they shouldn’t to boldly remind people that Uber Eats has expanded its offering from merchants to include categories like grocery, alcohol and convenience items among a whole range of things you can’t eat, like nappies, washing up liquid and… celeb-endorsed candles.
Uber Eats memorably reunited the stars of Wayne’s World during last year’s viral Super Bowl ad, which urged viewers to support local restaurants and Eat Local, so the bar was high.
Equal parts shock value and humor, the campaign, “Uber Don’t Eats” by Special US, working with Special Australia, was devised to create a viral spot that would push well beyond the 30-second ad in the second quarter. Joint ECDs Dave Horton and Matthew Woodhams-Roberts at Special US with joint CCOs Tom Martin and Julian Schreiber at Special Australia, led the creative efforts behind the campaign, which includes a Twitter teaser campaign, digital video, social media endorsements and outdoor ads. The Super Bowl campaign will extend with a Valentine’s Day execution and another round of ads during NCAA basketball in March.
The Super Bowl spot is led by actress Jennifer Coolidge, who humorously ponders whether the aluminum foil in her Uber Eats bag is meant to be eaten. “If it was delivered with Uber Eats, does that mean I can eats it?” she asks. Quick cuts cover a range of everyday folk and celebs gnawing on non-edibles, including Succession’s Nicholas Braun downing dishwasher liquid, Paltrow’s cameo, and The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, who proclaims “and thanks to Uber Eats, we don’t even know what food is anymore.”
Says Georgie Jeffreys, head of Uber Eats marketing, U.S. and Canada: “After our Super Bowl debut in 2021, we’re thrilled to return for year two with a campaign that highlights everything you can order on Uber Eats – even if you can’t eat it. With millions of consumers ordering essentials beyond food delivery each month, we continue to remain hyper-focused on expanding into new verticals and offerings, and extending that narrative through our marketing efforts. Our Super Bowl campaign places our ‘Don’t Eats’ at the heart of the creative with a humorous twist thanks to our star-studded cast.”
Says Martin: “It’s so rare a brand is willing to be this self-deprecating on such a huge scale.”
Adds Schreiber: “But Uber Eats immediately saw the cut through and understood, it was perfect to announce they now do more than Eats.”
The campaign during advertising’s premier event blends digital, influencer and classic advertising creativity.
Client :: UBER EATS
Chief Marketing Officer: Thomas Ranese
Global Head of Brand: Shivram Vaideswaran
Head of Marketing, US & CAN: Georgie Jeffreys
Global Executive Creative Director: Danielle Hawley
Global Creative Director: École Weinstein
Global Creative Director: Natalie Purbrick
Global Head of Social and Influencers: Suzanne Lindbergh
Director of Global Production Carey Head
Creative Producer: Alexis Bley
Creative Producer: Emily Senecal
Head of Business Affairs: Rashad Suarez
Brand and Campaigns Lead, US & CAN: Meredith Savatsky
Senior Marketing Manager: Liza Keller
Senior Marketing Manager: Stephanie Laurin
Senior Consumer Communications Manager: Lexi Levin Mitchel
Brand Media Lead: Gracie Childress
Agency: Special USA + Special Australia
CEO: Cade Heyde
CEO: Lindsay Evans
CCO: Tom Martin
CCO: Julian Schreiber
Executive Creative Director: Dave Horton
Executive Creative Director: Matthew Woodhams-Roberts
Associate Creative Director: Alyssa Cavanaugh
Associate Creative Director: Ryan Siepert
Associate Creative Director, Design: Alex Lumain
Copywriter: Jon Marshall
Art Director: Kris Wixom
Founding Partner US / Head of Strategy: Kelsey Hodgkin
Strategy Director: Janet Shih
Account Director: Caitlin Miller
Account Director: Lindsay Friedgood
Account Executive: Molly Dyer
Head of Production: Esther Perls
Executive Producer: Joe Calabrese
Senior Producer: Chelsea Larner
Producer: Chloe Seitz
Head of Business Affairs: LaTanya Ware
Creative (social): Shaun McFarlane
Creative (social): Janice Ko
Social Lead: Lachlan Stewart
Media :: MEDIACOM
Production : GIFTED YOUTH
Director: Jake Szymanski
Director of Photography: Ken Seng
Executive Producer: Josh Morse
Producer: Stephan Mohammed
Edit :: THE DEN
:60
Editor: Katie Cali
Editor: Christjan Jordan
Senior Cutting Asst: Nic Watkins
Senior Cutting Asst: James Bird
EP: Jennifer Mersis
Senior Producer: Jessica Mann
:30
Editor: Christjan Jordan
Senior Cutting Asst: Nic Watkins
Senior Cutting Asst: James Bird
EP: Jennifer Mersis
Senior Producer: Jessica Mann
VFX :: MOVING PICTURE COMPANY
Creative Director: Claus Hansen
Flame Lead: Claus Hansen
Executive Producer: Karena Ajamian
Producer: Mike Heil
Color :: MOVING PICTURE COMPANY
Colorist: Dimitri Zola
Executive Producer: Meghan Lang
Producer: Phoebe Torsilieri
Sound + Mix :: ELEVEN SOUND
Mix / Sound Design: Jordan Meltzer
Asst Mixers: Andrew Smith & Marco Tornillo
Executive Producer: Melissa Elston
40 Comments
Execution is 8/10. Felt like it started to verge on the wrong side of cheesy at points.
This great. Well done to all involved.
Great idea but why directed so cheesy ?
Why do cheesy? Because it’s Super Bowl. Most often the broader the better. Particularly if it has a comedic bent. You’re making ads for drunk football fans. It’s not a stage for subtlety.
As if celebs order UberEats. The only thing they’re getting delivered is bags and subpoenas. And maybe a cheeky moisty.
This is such a great solution to an obvious, yet massive business problem.
Putting aside that Uber should have sorted the problem with the brand ages ago.
Way to blow a load of cash on celebs to prop up an ailing business.
Should be looking at Milk Run locally, actually be a creative company, rather than a money led, buy some average creativity with lots of celebs sort of brand.
Go back to ordering direct and picking up, see how grateful restaurant and shops are, it’s a real pleasure.
How can anyone on here be critical of an independent Aussie agency taking on the world like this. And they’re doing it from here. Hugely inspiring stuff.
Typical Aussies claiming New Zealand’s talents as their own. Special Sydney is an outpost from Special Auckland as is USA. A truly brilliant NZ advertising success story.
ringe
didn’t need to be a 60″ – got the joke after about 15 seconds. started to drag a bit. But great work regardless.
Independent Aussie agency takes on world with work that is strategically great and bloody funny. And CampaignBrief commenters are just cunts about it.
Let’s get behind AU work not slate it.
This is excellent, I’d love to have been involved in this. There should be rule here that if you slam work you should have to share your portfolio.
I don’t know about that sentiment. It’s like saying you can’t critique a movie unless you’ve made a feature film.
At the end of the day, agencies are commercial enterprises, who choose to put their work up here, because they want to show-off and get more work off the back of it.
As an industry we’re conditioned to critique and analyse work (it’s what we do everyday), and if you worked in an agency where everyone constantly patted each other on the back, the work wouldn’t be very good.
I think we can raise the bar for comments, but I don’t think agencies should get a free pass for making a big budget ad.
I’m assuming you work at an agency or in the industry, so you should understand just how difficult it is to make anything, let alone anything good here. They got a food delivery client to sign off on Gwyneth Paltrow eating a candle with the scent of her vagina!!
I honestly do believe that if you’re not trying to make and put out the best work you can, you shouldn’t be sat behind a keyboard trashing those that are. This is an industry publication, so yes you should be making decent ads before saying how bad everyone else’s work is. Get work out that is as good or better than the work you say is so shit.
There is also an idea behind the big budget, it isn’t borrowed interest, the spot could work great without the celebrity, but its elevated by it.
How are we supposed to know she is eating a vagina scented candle? Thats funny. But just thought it was a normal candle.
… cos my body wouldn’t be able to stomach it.
Can’t see how you can fault it.
Unless you’re just unhappy with your own career and need a punching bag.
An ailing business? I wouldn’t have thought so.
Why is everyone so negative on here? the spot is great. Well done to all involved.
the harshest people on here likely have a folio of MRECs and eDMs to show.
I was really looking forward to this but. I don’t get it. I though the candle teaser was great, but this feels over cooked and trying too hard. Such a shame, I’m a bit loss for comments.
I love it when Aussie agencies try to tack their name on global work. No, adapting a few social posts to a localised market does not warrant a press release.
This is a far better idea than the one screening in Australia for the same brief of Uber grocery delivery. It gets right to the core of the dichotomy and contradiction of non-food delivery by a food delivery company.
As ever, the simplest ideas are blindingly obvious once they’ve been unearthed.
I agree with another commenter that the idea doesn’t need 60 seconds, and it would be sharper split into series of shorter spots with fewer vignettes running in rotation.
@@money money money, mind not using my noble calling to associate me with the agitated riff raff on this blog?
@all the losers on this blog It’s a big, funny ad that people will watch knocking back beers in-between a game a that a tiny ball gets thrown around from one side to the other side with a few in game butt taps – what’s not to like?
Love it. Funny. Great use of celebs. ‘Does that mean I can eats it?’ So good. Candle. Gold. Love the disclaimers on each scene.
What’s not to love here? Congrats to all involved. More please.
No, Aussies did it.
Back to your global adapts
Adding celebs to a script for the Super Bowl is a cliche now sure, but these big names are supremely well cast and add so much.
Not to mention the idea isn’t just ‘celebs’.
Well done Special! Woo!
Wish I’d done it!
It won’t win Super Bowl ad of the year, but it’s brilliant coming out of this little corner of the earth.
Touch goofy and just a tad whack. Props for the talent though.
…for the #CanIEatsIt TikTok challenge where people eat Goop vagina crystals and drink carbonated bong water.
In the age that kids, and some really stupid adults, are actually eating Tide capsules, and being encouraged to inject bleach, how did they get away with this?
You can’t prevent people being stupid
Sorry this is not that funny. In fact it’s stupid. Stick to farting gags.
Great to see an Indi NZ agency taking on the workd like this
How fun is this! Its ridiculous and dumb in the best way possible. Love it.
This commercial shows how stupid Uber Eats’ customers are.
A commercial being stupid does not make the customers stupid. But I see what you are saying.
Could they be more stupid? I know celebrities have less neurons, because most of them are political left wings, but eating soap is a new kind of stupid.
Uber eats company executives clearly showing they don’t know how to choose an advertisement agency. Are you sure these guys are professionals? I mean even Chandler Bing could have made a better advertisement than that.
I hate these new commercials, they are really stupid!