Australians’ wardrobes got a little lighter last weekend with more than 100,000kgs of preloved clothing making its way to new homes following the success of Uber and Red Cross’ latest Clothing Drive.
The initiative, which took place on Saturday, 21 October, was designed to encourage Australians to donate their unused clothing from their doorstep with a free Uber Package trip, enabling the Australian Red Cross to raise funds for vulnerable communities. The donations delivered double the initial target and provided enough to fully stock four Australian Red Cross Shops for an entire year.
It marks the most successful donation drive in the last five collaborations between Uber and the Australian Red Cross, with 10,000 Uber Package trips facilitating the collection and delivery of preloved garments to Australian Red Cross sorting centres nationally. The collection drive was made possible thanks to 400 Uber and Australian Red Cross volunteers and 3,000 Uber driver-partners.
Fronted by Australian soccer star Sam Kerr, the campaign’s record haul was attributed to a multifaceted marketing strategy that combined with a comprehensive earned PR campaign. The Matildas Captain featured in a suite of phased creator-style assets for the campaign, using native TikTok transitions to elevate her personality.
View this post on Instagram
Passionate about supporting “a good Aussie cause”, Kerr said she got involved in the campaign to “get behind Australia”, just as the nation got behind her team earlier this year: “It’s such a smart initiative. I’m always donating clothes to keep my wardrobe light. The hardest part is always getting round to dropping them at an Op Shop, so having Uber making it easier than ever to donate, for free and to a good cause, is just amazing,” Kerr said.
The earned campaign was supported by a ‘Cost of Giving’ research report, revealing almost half (48 per cent) of Australians expressed a desire to donate more to charity but cited financial constraints this year as a significant hurdle. This was visually brought to life via an activation on Bondi Beach, using artificial intelligence to symbolise the 109 million pieces of unused clothing sitting in Aussies’ wardrobes that could
instead be donated to charities like Australian Red Cross. The demonstration generated widespread intrigue, with millions of organic views across Instagram and TikTok.
“As our fifth year running the Clothing Drive, there is a lot of pride building within our company to make this an annual moment in Australian’s calendars and support Australian Red Cross in the amazing humanitarian work year round. We knew that to rally Australians to get behind this worthy cause again, we needed to go bigger and bolder than ever before” said David Griffiths, head of marketing, Uber ANZ.
“There’s really no one that could help us do that better than national treasure Sam Kerr, supported by a smart strategy featuring AI, influencer amplification, and consumer research, to deliver a truly innovative and impactful campaign that produced three times as many trips as last year. It’s been so rewarding to see the overwhelming response and generosity from Australians for this Donation Drive, and we can’t wait to see the impact that this has on the vital humanitarian programs Australian Red Cross delivers”.
“The success of this Clothing Drive goes beyond the numbers; it signifies a collective commitment to supporting communities in need. We are grateful for the multi-year partnership with Uber that has allowed us to reach new heights and make a significant difference. The Australian community is a generous one, and despite cost of living placing constraints on some people’s ability to financially donate, they’ve dug deep and their pre-loved clothes will now contribute to successfully helping those in need,” said chief marketing officer at Australia Red Cross, Caroline Elton.
As the campaign concludes, the focus turns to the tangible impact these donations will have on Australian communities. The clothing collected will contribute to essential funds for Australian Red Cross initiatives, emphasising that impactful change can arise from using technology for good, along with innovative marketing, strategic collaborations, and a shared commitment to making a difference.
Campaign Credits:
Uber
David Griffiths, Head of Marketing, ANZ
Anna Viney, Brand Marketing
Peta Fitzgerald, Communications Director, ANZ
Claire McAdam, Mobility Communications Lead, ANZ
Chanelle Murray, Social Media Lead, ANZ
Vince Lam, Social Media Associate, ANZ
Australian Red Cross
Caroline Elton, Head of Marketing
Kira Reed, Head of Corporate Communications
Rachel Tharrat, Senior Media Adviser
Lucy Bayne, Senior Marketing Manager
Catherine Frohlich, Marketing Manager
Hello Social – Talent Creative & Influencer Content
Partner/MD : Sam Kelly
Creatives: Aaron Tyler & Chris Burke
Director of Client Experience: Maddie Marovino
Group Account Director: Ed Popa
Senior Account Manager: Jordan Sisson
Strategy Director: Matt Pearce
Executive Producer: Thea Carone
Producer: Kat Camrass
Head of Talent: Melissa Woodward
Head of Design: Seamus McShane
Deputy Head of Design: Kevin Barker
Art Director: Sam Brand
Designer: Cody Waters
Herd MSL, Publicis Groupe – Earned Media
Peter Galmes, Chief Creative Strategist
Yasmin Armes, Group Account Director
Janete Sampaio, Senior Account Director
Kallie Hunter, Account Director
Rachel Ecclestone, Senior Account Manager
Mirna Elsabie, Account Manager
Annie Greiner, Account Coordinator
Prodigious – AI Creative Production
Sam Bruce, VIdeographer/Editor
Dylan Neill, Animation Director
Matt Brunner, VFX Director
Sarah Cloutie, rHead of Production
Essence MediaCom – Paid Media
Nathaniel Thompson
Patrick Fakiye
Matt Leahy
Marine Turner
Cordelia Ong
We Know Video – Video Production
UK Director: Charles Copsey
UK Cinematographer: Luke Dryden
Managing Director: Jack Shanahan
Editor: André Rodrigues
