Why is this work relevant for Social & Influencer?

The #MakeLocalFamous campaign was not only executed using influencers and across social channels, but built on a strategic insight around how celebrity influencers are typically used by brands in marketing. In this way, influencer culture influenced the idea as much as using influencers themselves influenced the way it was executed.

Background

Uber Eats launched in Hong Kong in 2016, but without much marketing support, it hasn’t fulfilled its growth potential. Even after 4 years since launch, awareness of the Uber Eats’ brand was only 37%. Despite the category growing exponentially due to covid in 2020, we weren’t getting a slice of the pie vs competitors who were ramping up brand spend. By early 2021, restaurants began dropping off the platform. We had to act fast to reverse the trend, but with a tight budget. Our brief: Launch Uber Eats Hong Kong’s biggest-ever brand campaign, ideally using the global creative platform - Tonight, I’ll be Eating… Objectives: Improve restaurant partner satisfaction so they feel it’s worthwhile being on the app (prevent churn). Drive up brand awareness by at least 3 points (consumer). Close the gap on the closest competitor in terms of acquisitions and app downloads.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

Celebrities usually get paid (lots) to sell products… even if they never actually use them in real life. Meanwhile, small businesses - like most restaurants on the Uber Eats app - don’t have the budget for influencer star power. In a world-first for the global Tonight, I’ll be eating… brand campaign, we flipped the traditional influencer endorsement model on its head, providing thousands of small local restaurants the star power that is usually reserved for big brands with big budgets. Partnering with Hong Kong’s much-loved comedic duo, Joyce Cheng and Alfred Hui, we launched the #MakeLocalFamous initiative to lend their support to thousands of local restaurants. Playing into their characters, Joyce and Alfred parodied the usual influencer marketing tropes - claiming every single restaurant was their personal favourite, creating tongue-in-cheek restaurant recommendations on social media, wearing logo-plastered jackets, holding over-the-top press conferences and providing customisable advertising materials to local restaurants.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Hongkongese culture is under pressure right now, and so locals are protective of what makes it unique and vibrant. Research revealed that food is a huge part of this cultural distinctiveness, with its collision of West and East, old and new, hawker street stalls and Michelin-starred restaurants. And it’s local mom and pop shops that form the lively, creative and sociable beating heart of it all. Yet these local restaurants have no chance competing against international brands like McDonalds and KFC, the likes of which Uber Eats’ competitors were spending big on supporting with their co-marketing efforts. This gave Uber Eats an opportunity for clear differentiation, as well as to take a stand on something culturally important, by celebrating and supporting all the local businesses that make Hong Kong’s food culture unique. This inspired the strategic proposition: Uber Eats wants to support every single local restaurant.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

The campaign consisted of two phases, each of which had b2b restaurant-facing communications, as well as consumer: One Consumer: Seed the idea that Joyce and Alfred are supporting lots of local restaurants through 'surprise celebrity reviews' posted through their social profiles across popular sites like TimeOut and Tripadvisor. Restaurant: Recruit local restaurants on the Uber Eats app to be part of the campaign through CRM and social channels. Two Consumer: launch the integrated campaign via a tongue-in-cheek press conference, also virtually streamed on Joyce & Alfred's own channels, as well as online video, TV, OOH and radio. Restaurant: distribute bespoke partner packs to all participating local restaurants, containing templated marketing materials (point-of-sale, social content, CRM) that they could customise, directly adding the star power of Joyce and Alfred to their own marketing efforts. The campaign ran nationally across Hong Kong, between July-September, with a total budget smaller than competitors.

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign far exceeded expectations (and targets): Business metrics Over 1000 local restaurants participated in the campaign, delivering +23% Gross Bookings +34% total trips +82% FTE acquisitions (month on month all time high) Directly contributed +260k acquisitions 40% growth in quarterly app downloads +3% share in app downloads (+30% MOM), surpassing closest competitor for the first time. Brand metrics +5% uplift in Top of Mind awareness +4% uplift in Consideration +2% uplift in Trial Media metrics Total reach 92% +4.1pt awareness uplift on YT (BLS) +2.0pt consideration uplift on FB/IG (BLS)

Please tell us about the cultural insight that inspired the work

As detailed in the strategy section, this campaign was born from research into local Hongkonese food culture. This revealed three things: Food culture IS culture in Hong Kong - it’s an obsession, the foundation of every social gathering, and deeply ingrained into the messy fabric of city life. The beating heart of Hong Kong’s unique food culture is the 1000s of local restaurants, cafes and mom and pop shops, every one different and quirky, some of which have been around for centuries with heavily guarded secret recipes. Amongst the current political turmoil, people are feeling protective of local Hongkonese culture. This led to our key insight - What defines Hongkonese food culture is its local restaurants, and yet they never get the limelight in food delivery brand advertising.