Uber Eats Is Late? Something Crazy Must Have Happened, Say New Ads

When you order a food delivery, you want it to arrive … hm, let’s see … late? So you’re extra hungry and can enjoy every last morsel, perhaps?

Of course not! You want that grub show up on time, or even early. Every. Single. Time. Uber Eats strives to oblige, and collaborated with agency Special US for a culturally attuned campaign dropping this week across TV and digital channels.

The work hypes three months of $0 delivery fees if your food arrives late, drafting NFL stars and a giant inflatable Minion to deliver that message. Comedy comes to the fore in three :30s, with Anonymous director Tim Godsall delivering broad laughs that bolster the brand. (No surprise, as he previously scored with funny stuff for Halo Top, H&M and State Farm).

Below, NFL stars Aaron Donald and Odell Beckham Jr. front Uber Eats spots that explore unlikely but plausible scenarios that could cause delivery delays:

Danny Trejo’s cameo steals the show in that second commercial! Sorry, OBJ. Even your bodacious bling can’t outshine DT!

“We had a great statistic as the basis for our campaign: Orders are on time 95 percent of the time. That got us thinking—what happens the other 5 percent of the time?” recalls Special US co-ECD Dave Horton. “Imagining the crazy circumstances that might cause a late order wasn’t just funny, but also a great way to show how rare it is for deliveries to arrive later than expected.”

Next, a ginormous, helium-filled Hollywood franchise icon takes a satisfying roll down Main Street:

“We wanted to appeal to families and our suburban consumers in a way that would resonate while also maintaining a sense of humor,” says Georgie Jeffreys, Uber Eats marketing head for the U.S. and Canada. “A giant inflatable Minion rolling down main street is, of course, a completely rational reason for a delivery to be slightly delayed.”

Indeed, it’s downright … despicable.

“Incredibly, everything you see on screen happened in-camera,” says Matt Woodhams-Roberts, Special US’s other co-ECD. “It was pretty fun for everyone to watch a 200-pound, 30-foot Minion bouncing down the street.”

Uber Eats has successfully harnessed celebrity power and beloved tropes before, notably in its 2021 Super Bowl ad resurrecting Wayne’s World, and last year’s chill pairing of Lil Nas X and Elton John.

The latest flurry will run in the U.S. and Canada, with social, OOH and radio also in the mix.

CREDITS

Client: UBER EATS
Vice President, Global Marketing: David Mogensen
Head of Marketing, US & CAN: Georgie Jeffreys
Global Executive Creative Director: Danielle Hawley
Sr Marketing Manager: Liza Keller
Global Creative Director: Natalie Purbrick
Social & Digital Marketing Lead: Kaitlyn Mendoza
Marketing Manager: Meg Fortier
Brand Media Lead: Gracie Childress
Agency: Special US
CEO: Cade Heyde 
Executive Creative Director: Dave Horton
Executive Creative Director: Matthew Woodhams-Roberts
Creative Director: Conner Tobiason
Senior Copywriter: Lex Singer
Senior Art Director: Laura Beck
Copywriter: Jon Marshall
Art Director: Kris Wixom
Partner US / Chief Strategy Officer: Kelsey Hodgkin
Head of Strategy: Kelsey Karson
Strategy Director: Janet Shih
Strategist: Jen Rose
General Manager: Dom Dalton
Account Director: Bella Timar
Account Director: Lindsay Friedgood
Account Supervisor: Molly Dyer
Head of Production: Esther Perls
Executive Producer: Felix Messina
Producer: Chloe Seitz
Head of Business Affairs: LaTanya Ware
Business Affairs Lead: Keli Christy
Creative (social): Roger Feeley-Lussier
Creative (social): Eron Broughton
Media: MEDIACOM
Production: ANONYMOUS
Director: Tim Godsall
Director of Photography: Bryan Newman
Executive Producer: SueEllen Clair
Producer: Brady Vant Hull
Social Production: CAKE FILMS
Social Director: John Will Clay
Edit: Arcade
VFX: Trafik
Color :Trafik
Sound + Mix: ELEVEN SOUND