B&T’s Campaigns of the Month for September are something of a mixed bag—no pun intended given Uber Eats’ latest is one of the standouts.
As ever, with the help of System1 and two leading creatives in Annabel Begeng, lead creative tinker at Thinkerbell, and Ben Coulson, Dentsu Creative’s ANZ CCO, we’ve picked three cracking pieces of work and endeavoured to find out which one is best and why.
Last month, Petbarn’s pup-tastic promo produced a near-pawfect score. This month, however, we’ve got Telstra’s beautiful ‘Wherever We Go’ via +61, Toyota’s brilliantly bloke-y ‘You Don’t Send a Ute to Do a Hilux Job’ via Saatchi & Saatchi and the latest iteration of Uber Eats’ all-conquering ‘Get Almost, Almost Anything’ from Special. The results may surprise you.
Telstra, ‘Wherever We Go’, +61
When this ad arrived, one couldn’t open LinkedIn without seeing the industry laud its craft, execution and boldness.
However, it seems as though the general public has had a slightly more muted reaction, according to System1’s testing.
“The ad stands out for its distinctive animated style, which is rare in the category and in advertising more broadly. It effectively harnesses emotional devices, including relatable characters, melodic music, a clear sense of place, an unfolding narrative, and characters with agency. This combination creates a compelling experience that resonates with audiences,” the ad testing gurus told us.
“However, one enhancement could be more prominent branding earlier in the ad. Given the significant length and the lack of early branding, this adjustment could help address neutral feelings and drive a stronger long-term Star Rating.”
Begeng, meanwhile, said that the ad is “beautifully crafted”.
“It feels like more of a short film than an ad, with an incredible level of detail and consideration in each of the scenes. The design is able to celebrate Australiana in a way that still feels unique and unexpected, and paired with the music track the whole journey feels incredibly joyful, an emotion which is key for a brand like Telstra to be driving in consumers.
“That being said, I think the crowning glory of this campaign is the OOH world they’re starting to build. Off the back of the ‘More bars’ work that’s been in the world for the past few months, these new executions are leaning into the refreshed colour palette and design system and establishing an illustration style that is whimsical yet pared back. It’ll be interesting to see how this new work lands with consumers, but it certainly feels like a fresh new era for Telstra with all the ingredients needed to stretch wherever they go (pun intended).”
Coulson is also a big fan.
“One thing is for sure, wherever I go I see this lovely campaign,” he said.
“Turns out all those lonely phone booths can be media when used well. The new brand line rings true for me (as a customer, that’s why I use them). Craft is classy, and the film is refreshingly simple. Great to see this big brand continuing its creative renaissance.”
Toyota, ‘You Don’t Send a Ute to Do a Hilux Job’, Saatchi & Saatchi
Toyota and Saatchi & Saatchi harnessed the power of laughter, here, in this latest campaign showing off the brute force of the HiLux. Synonymous with tradies and guerrilla fighters from the Levant to Libya, the HiLux is one helluva machine. The team at System1 were big fans.
“As the Hilux pulls a vehicle out of a bog, viewers see multiple trucks that have attempted to help, only to get stuck themselves. This absurd scenario highlights the effectiveness of exaggeration, one of the most potent forms of humour. Consequently, Toyota significantly over indexes on ‘Amusement,’ a key driver of happiness that leads to long-lasting business effects,” the said.
“Set in the Australian outback, the creative has a strong sense of place—a right-brained feature identified by Orlando Wood in his books Lemon and Look Out, known to drive engagement and attention. Combined with characters who have agency, implicit communication, and a clear unfolding story, the ad taps into a range of elements that contribute to a positive long-term impact.”
Begeng and Coulson were even more effusive in their praise.
“I love this spot. The idea is so simple, the line is ace, and the execution isn’t overbaked. Hilux is so deeply baked into Australian culture that they don’t need to get bogged down in tech specs or fancy features, they just need to remind you that they’re the one and only ute for Australia, and this spot does it brilliantly. Part of me wants to see it pulled out even further into a 60″ and part of me also wants to see it distilled into landscape large format. I have no doubt it would work brilliantly in both forms, which is a testament to its strength and stretch,” said Begeng.
“So much to like here,” said Coulson.
“A cracking end line (this alone will sell a lot of stock). Then there’s a fresh and unexpected new creative execution, and even a nod to the famous HiLux spot. This is a return to the best of HiLux ads- back on the farm, looking tough as hell and makes me want one. Toyota team, I dip my muddy Akubra.”
Uber Eats, ‘Get Almost, Almost Anything’, Special
You know how this one goes already. Uber Eats’ work with Special has been a nearly unmitigated success. Just this week, Uber Eats’ APAC marketing boss Andy Morley was talking up its success in driving performance and long-term brand success.
System1 have similarly lauded the work.
“Despite its remarkable commercial impact, humour has declined in recent years. Fortunately, Uber Eats is reversing this trend with a light-hearted comedic spot featuring Seinfeld star Jason Alexander, who hilariously navigates a series of nightmarish scenarios after opening a can of laughter delivered by Uber Eats,” the team told us.
“This ad is particularly effective because it leverages Jason Alexander’s sitcom legacy. Celebrities, often referred to as ‘hired devices,’ can be highly impactful for brands, especially in the short term, as they bring pre-existing emotions that enhance System1’s Spike Rating. While the long-term effects may vary, strategic use—like in this campaign—can yield significant results. By placing Jason in a familiar scenario, Uber Eats capitalises on the principle that familiarity breeds contentment in advertising, ultimately driving a positive response from consumers.”
Begeng, meanwhile, said that some of Uber Eats’ celeb-focused spots have left her flat. This one, however, was a winner.
“I’ll be the first to say I’ve found these celebrity-led spots a bit hit-and-miss in the past, but this is definitely a hit for me. They’ve brilliantly leveraged the talent’s most iconic characteristics to create an engaging story that doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard to make us laugh. I always love when you can tell that the creatives sat in a room and really pushed the limits of where they could take the idea, but then had the tact to pull it back to where it needed to be,” she said.
“The recent Nicola Coughlan ‘Period Romance’ spot felt like a win for all the same reasons. It feels like the creative team is really hitting their stride with this platform.”
Coulson similarly thinks the execution is brilliant but the real winner is in the brand platform’s longevity.
“So the first big question this spot brings up- how is it that Jason Alexander looks the same now as he did 20 years ago?? Guess it’s a good argument for going bald early, pays off later. For a while the doubters have been saying this celeb-focused technique will run out of legs, but this spot shows it to be in as fine-a-song as ever. All the funny is there and the well established campaign message is still working hard,” he said.