Why is this work relevant for Media?

We used specific media placements by only buying the last spot of every ad break to hack the live broadcast of the Australian Open. We picked different moments of tennis and tricked viewers into thinking they were watching live broadcast, until a player or celebrity turned to camera and reveals it is an Uber Eats ad. This seamless integration of our Tonight I’ll Be Eating platform allowed us to use traditional media in a constantly surprising way, with a different ad and trick for every day of the tournament.

Background

We sponsored the Australian Open for the second year in a row, which was a bold move considering the success of last year’s now famous “Australian Open Ambush” campaign. Our quest was an undeniable challenge...to beat last year’s triumph. Last year, our ads posed as part of a moment in the game, this year viewers enjoyed comedic moments beyond the ad break and live tennis. No moment was safe from ‘Tonight I’ll be Eating’, with our ads masquerading as refreshers, replays, classic moments reels, interviews and player statistics graphics. So in 2020 we made repetition our enemy. We had to leverage our Tonight I’ll be Eating campaign, in a way that was highly relevant to the Australian Open, but would not put viewers off, who were sick of seeing the same ads on repeat.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

We created a different ad for every day of the tournament, always playing off a different moment of the tennis. Whether it was water breaks, graphics, slow motion replays, commentators, classic moments or press conferences, no moment was safe from becoming an Uber Eats ad. This meant viewers were constantly surprised and kept guessing what was coming next.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

We sponsored the Australian Open for the second year in a row, which was a bold move considering the success of last year’s now famous “Australian Open Ambush” campaign. Our quest was an undeniable challenge...to beat last year’s triumph. The Australian Open campaign from the year before had already propelled the brand into a category leader position and from a brand perspective, our awareness had peaked. We set ourselves a goal to heighten the fame of the brand by firmly cementing ‘Tonight I’ll Be Eating’ into culture; and to use this strategy to expand our existing demographic. We did this by: - Creating cultural moments, not ads by finding new innovative and newsworthy ways of getting ‘Tonight, I’ll Be Eating...’ into newsfeeds and onto the national news - Earned media approach. This involved using top tiered talent and media partnerships which was achieved through sponsorships and celebrities.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We only bought ad spaces which were at the end of each commercial break, leaving viewers thinking that there were back watching the live broadcast. We used the same stadium, cameras, players, commentators, even match outfits, that were used during the exact live match that was playing. Because of this, no one was expecting it when they turned to the camera and delivered a 'Tonight, I’ll be Eating...' line. The campaign ran during the 14 days of the tournament itself, during moments of live broadcast tennis.

List the results (30% of vote)

ALL RESULTS ARE CONFIDENTIAL. For our Uber Eats No Repeats campaign, topping the success of the year before was no easy feat. However, this campaign managed to earn over 11 million impressions and 6.8 million video views, which was up 11% from the year before. We proved that as long as you keep things fresh, people are willing to watch the ads.