Comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen and tennis star Nick Kyrgios star in Uber Eats’ Australian Open 2021 marketing campaign launched via comic creative featuring clashes between authentic players taking part in this year’s tournament and a fake umpire.
The campaign, created by agency Special Group, opened with a social teaser spot on 8 February which sees the controversial Aussie player clashed with a familiar, yet questionably Australian and distinctly rogue umpire who disrupts a match whilst perusing the Uber Eats app.
Like the delivery brand’s previous two Australian Open activations, the campaign rolls out throughout the course of the tournament as other players join the campaign and ads are seemingly ‘produced on the fly’ and aired during the games in which their protagonists are actually playing.
This series of spots saw Cohen’s fictional rogue umpire sabotage game involving Kyrgios and Barty in order to maintain love on the scoreboard.
These all promote a fresh element of the 2021 campaign sees promo codes integrated into the live match broadcasts. As umpire Baron Cohen tries to keep ‘love’ on the scoreboard, Uber Eats posts a promo code on its Instagram that unlocks free menu items at selected restaurant partners.
When ‘love’ finally disappears from the score board, the code also disappears.
Restaurant partners referenced include McDonald’s, Hungry Jack’s, Dominos, Subway and Ben & Jerry’s.
Another top ranked Australian player who will appear in the initiative is Ash Barty who also falls victim to Cohen’s eccentric on-court rulings and the campaign also sees the sponsor socially activate around on-court events.
Winner, winner, chicken (for) dinner! Congrats on the win @ashbarty! #TonightIllBeEating #AshBarty #SliceQueen #BartyParty pic.twitter.com/n5h2Jo4Ie2
— Uber Australia (@Uber_Australia) February 9, 2021
There is also an animated digital content strands to the activation.
Cast your vote: or Our own Aussie meat pie takes on the Montenegrin Burek in tonight’s clash between @ashbarty and @DankaKovinic? Who will make it through? Will it be tasty pastry or the Balkan bakery good!? #TonightIllBeEatingpic.twitter.com/URDL8kcIny
— Uber Australia (@Uber_Australia) February 9, 2021
The campaign runs on official Australian Open broadcaster Nine, as well as on its multichannel Gem, as well as rolling out across social, Out-Of-Home, digital and Tennis Australia’s and Uber Eats’ owned channels.
“We’re delighted to continue our collaboration with Tennis Australia, using the Australian Open as a platform to showcase our latest campaign,” said Uber eats ANZ Head of Marketing David Griffiths.
“Navigating such an unpredictable time to deliver an integrated campaign that is bold, direct and has plenty of heart is a huge credit to our team, Special Group and all our partners. We’re extremely proud and excited to see this one run.”
“This is our third Australian Open campaign for Uber Eats, so we wanted to do something new, while still packing a punch for the brand. We realised Uber Eats could again own specific moments in the tennis – this time when the score is love,” explained Special Group Australia partner and CCO Julian Schreiber
“Collaborating with Uber Eats and Sacha Baron Cohen to create a rogue umpire obsessed with keeping the score at love seemed a bold and completely fresh way to promote the moment.”
Uber Eat’s Marketing Manager Rebecca Kemp added: “Hilarious, compelling and riveting brand campaigns help delight existing customers, reminding them about the enormous choice available on the Uber Eats app but just as importantly it continues to drive new customers, and new ordering occasions to the platform. We couldn’t be happier with the surprise and staying power of our latest creative collaborator.”
The campaign was created for Uber Eats Senior Director Marketing APAC Lucinda Barlow, Head of Marketing APAC Andy Morley, Head of Marketing ANZ David Griffiths, Senior Marketing Manager Rebecca Kemp, Marketing Manager Tim Broxup and Marketing Associate Sharny Mullally.
It was conceived and created by a team at Special Group Australia which included Founding Partner & CEO Lindsey Evans, Founding Partner & Managing Director Cade Heyde, CCO & Partner Tom Martin, CCO & Partner Julian Schreiber, Creative Directors Jade Manning & Vince Osmond, Creatives Jeff Seeff & Joel Grunstein, Executive Producer Sevda Ćemo, Animated Teaser/ Explainer Producer Alyce Guy, Still Producer Emily Willis, Social Lead Lachlan Stewart, Social Manager Sarah Mckie, Group Strategy Director Celia Garforth, Strategy Director Heather Morrison, Team Lead Eileen Cosgrove-Moloney, Business Directors Laura Little & Annabel Dempsey, Business Manager Dharsh Sundran, Talent Director Emily Stewart and Creative Technologist Shaun O’Connor.
The production company was Scoundrel with Director Scott Pickett, Producer Ben Scandrett-Smith, Managing Director/ Executive Producer Adrian Shapiro and Socials Director Yianni Warnock.
Edit and post production was by Arc Edit, the sound studio was Rumble Studios, production stills were by Chee Productions, with animated post by and sound by Vandal.
Comment:
According to Julian Schreiber, Special Group CCO, the first week of the campaign has been going very well: “People are really getting into the second screen experience of watching for when the score is love so they can snap up codes on Instagram in order to score food on Uber Eats.”
“We couldn’t be happier with how Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Rogue Umpire’ character has grabbed national attention.” added Tom Martin, Special Group Australia partner. “His antics with Nick Kyrios, and now with Ash Barty, have been getting coverage on national morning shows, the news and even interviews during the Tennis itself.”
This is the third consecutive year that Uber Eats has partnered with Tennis Australia and the Open’s broadcaster Nine.
This award-winning partnership began in 2019 with an ‘official ambush’ fake-out tactic which saw ads appear as though the live match telecast had returned from commercial break, but as play seemingly resumed it was immediately interrupted by players receiving food deliveries.
The 2020 campaign saw Magda Szubanski’s character Sharon Strzelecki live out her dream of being a ball girl at the Australian Open and interact with the tennis super stars (including Serena Williams).
Cohen’s role continues the star-led trend in Uber Eats’ campaigns: previous ads have featured Kim Kardashian.
Links:
Uber Eats
Special Group Australia
Australian Open
Tennis Australia
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