How Uber Eats Tapped into Sitcom Nostalgia with Jason Alexander
Uber Eats recently launched the latest instalment of its ‘Get almost, almost anything’ platform, featuring comedian and Seinfeld star Jason Alexander.
The spot depicts Jason’s chaotic attempt to order canned laughter to improve a dinner party, continuing the brand’s tradition of cheeky celebrity cameos.
The ‘Get almost, almost anything’ platform has successfully expanded Uber Eats’ perceived product range by using humour and nostalgia to increase brand visibility across more categories.
Speaking to LBB’s Tom Loudon about the newest spot, Special creative directors James Sexton and Harry Neville Towle, strategy director JJ Bender, and team lead Rachel McEwen, break down the campaign’s execution.
LBB> How does this iteration build on the success of previous campaigns featuring the likes of Kris and Kendall Jenner, Tom Felton, and Nicola Coughlan?
James and Harry> We launched ‘Get almost, almost anything’ in January 2023 with Kris and Kendall Jenner. Since then, we’ve identified the right kind of celebrities who’ve been game enough to put themselves in precarious situations to explain why there are still some things Uber Eats doesn’t help deliver.
Almost two years into the new platform, it's proven itself over and over - with results showing it outperforms the Effie award-winning ‘Tonight I'll be Eating’ platform.
Heading into this latest iteration, our aim was to build on what had already proven successful and keep it relevant with new characters while injecting the self-deprecating humour that has become synonymous with the Uber Eats brand.
LBB> What inspired using Jason Alexander, and the canned laughter concept?
James and Harry> When looking for creative inspiration, we always start with culture rather than trying to manufacture something. The renaissance of the sitcom genre and rise of streaming exposes a whole new generation to the genius of shows like Friends and Seinfeld.
Having previously referenced reality TV, magic, and period drama genres, sitcoms felt like uncharted but relevant territory that offered lots of fertile creative ground.
The concept of canned laughter is so inherent to the genre that it felt natural, and sitcom royalty Jason Alexander was the obvious choice to bring the story to life. There’s also something very joyful about using laughter as the central concept in a story!
LBB> How did Jason Alexander's comedic style influence the direction and tone of the campaign?
James and Harry> The story of this campaign is about Jason Alexander rather than any particular character he’s played, so his comedic style was always at the heart of the concept.
Jason was involved in the creative from the early stages and collaborated closely with director Mark Molloy and our creative team to ensure our choices were true to his character and comedy - from the scenes to the wardrobe.
LBB> Were there any challenges in bringing the concept of ‘canned laughter’ to life in a way that remained entertaining while highlighting Uber Eats’ core message?
James and Harry> One of the advantages of bouncing off of a proven platform like ‘Get almost, almost anything’ is that there are fewer unknowns in refining the creative. However, there are always unique challenges and discoveries that come along with every new iteration.
One of the challenges we faced in this process was the canned laughter itself - having an aural element/sonic asset (an intangible) as the central item in the story wasn’t something we had tried in previous campaign iterations. We needed to ensure that this didn’t affect comprehension or enjoyment of the finished film. Sound is always an essential component of the film, but in this spot, the nuance of laughter becomes critical for comprehension and storytelling.
LBB> The campaign premiered during the AFL Grand Final — what role did this high-profile launchpad play in the overall strategy?
Rachel> The role of a marquee media moment like the AFL Grand Final is twofold; firstly - having more eyeballs on the hero film asset ultimately associates the brand with a cultural moment and creates more conversation around the brand and the story we’re telling.
Secondly, it allows us the environment for a longer-form film that tells the most complete version of the story, setting the stage for the variety of additional assets we produce for TV, social, stills, audio, and CRM.
LBB> What was it like working with director Mark Molloy, and how did his vision shape the campaign's outcome?
Rachel> Mark was an incredible partner in this campaign, and his vision elevated the script beyond what any of us imagined. Like any good partnership, we were aligned on the fundamentals, but Mark was incredibly open and flexible in working with us on all the execution details.
In addition to that, he was a joy to work with, collaborative with all the talent, and captured an incredible amount of footage on every day we were shooting.
LBB> Can you discuss the global export of the ‘Get almost, almost anything’ platform and how it has been adapted for other markets?
JJ> When adapting the campaign for other markets, it’s critical that we don’t just lift and shift, but maintain the elements that made it so successful. We have some distinctive brand assets that have been 10 years in the making - like our green bag, the doorbell, and our ordering moment - all key to continuing to build the brand.
Sometimes this platform works, like in the US, Taiwan, and parts of Europe running ‘Get almost, almost anything’. In other markets, like Japan, we need to create something new.
Seeing the platform translated around the world is a testament to the success of both the idea and our partnership with Uber, and is something we’re incredibly proud of.
LBB> What metrics or indicators will you use to measure the success of this campaign?
JJ> After a campaign goes live, we have two main measurement tools that measure both the short-term and long-term effectiveness of the campaign:
In the short term, we use Brand Lift Studies (BLSs) to get a read on asset-by-asset effectiveness across different channels. This helps us measure things like message association and action intent.
In the long term, we use our much higher altitude Brand Health Tracker which tracks macro brand health for Uber Eats. Uber has blackout periods in its marketing plans to tie the brand health data to specific campaigns.
LBB> How does this campaign position Uber Eats in relation to its competitors, especially in the rapidly evolving delivery market?
JJ> Since our last set of ‘Tonight I’ll be eating’ brand campaigns, Uber Eats has been on a mission to go from a ’just-takeaway’ to an ‘anything app’. This means we’ve also inherited more competition. So not only are we now competing with other food delivery apps, we’re competing with the broader e-commerce ecosystem.
This campaign is yet another step toward telling more people about the expanding product offering on Uber Eats, and at the heart of it lies ‘Get almost, almost anything’: not only can you get burgers on Uber Eats, but you can also get dog beds. But not dogs…
LBB> How do you see the ‘Get almost, almost anything’ platform evolving for future campaigns?
JJ> ‘Get almost, almost anything’ was specifically designed to help Uber Eats expand its perceived product offering. We wholeheartedly believe we’re not done yet telling people they can help deliver more than just burgers, and the more people realise this, the more opportunities there are to unlock ordering occasions throughout the week.
As long as this platform helps Uber showcase its growing depth of selection into new and unexpected verticals, we’ll continue to tell people that you can’t get canned laughter, but you can get canned soup.
