It’s official, Matthew McConaughey is returning to the Super Bowl. We don’t know much else about the Uber Eats big game ad, but we do know McConaughey will be in it, based on two new teasers released today.
Here, we see McConaughey, who previously starred in Super Bowl ads for Doritos (2021) and Salesforce (2022) recreating the iconic look of former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, along with “Da Bears” line from the classic SNL sketch.
Uber’s head of marketing for North America Georgie Jeffreys says the core objective for its big game work is to continue to drive relevance and brand affinity with Americans, particularly in the suburbs. When it comes to teasers, though, the goal is more about setting vibes and piquing curiosity.
“There’s no other time when people are ready and waiting to watch an ad,” says Jeffreys. ”There’s also no other time when people are anticipating what you’re going to do as a brand. You have this opportunity to capitalize on it in a way that you might not with other campaigns at other times of the year. If you can get it right, then it’s kind of your fire starter.”
The brand began its run with McConaughey last September, when he floated the conspiracy theory that the function of all sports is to act as a catalyst for us to eat more food. He now revisits that theory with a big game teaser that posits an alternative meaning for this year’s Roman numerals.
Jeffreys says that the response to that spot completely upended its Super Bowl plans (they typically start thinking about the big game in July), and they began a complete redo in October, working with agency Special US. Since then, both Charli XCX and Martha Stewart have joined the roster.
Celebrity strategy
When it comes to picking celebrities to work with, Jeffreys says they have to answer a few different questions: Do they appeal to the audience? Are they somewhat unexpected? Are they willing to be self-deprecating? “But at its core, they actually have to amplify the creative idea,” she says. “They need to fit it, and by being a part of the creative idea, they need to make the idea bigger.”
It’s not the first time the brand has utilized an unlikely pairing of celebrity in its advertising, nor is this its first rodeo in resurrecting a beloved SNL sketch. Back in 2021, it was “Wayne’s World,” reuniting Mike Myers and Dana Carvey to resurrect their classic SNL characters alongside Cardi B.
In late 2023, Robert De Niro and Asa Butterfield (Sex Education) starred in a delightful spot depicting them as an unlikely pair of BBFs. (Its 2023 Super Bowl spot starring Diddy definitely hasn’t aged well . . . does Uber Eats deliver baby oil?)
For 2022, it was all about celebs looking silly to emphasize the app delivers more than food. So there was Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow biting into a Goop candle. Nicholas Braun (Cousin Greg from HBO’s Succession) guzzling dish detergent. Jennifer Coolidge (White Lotus) trying to eat on paper towels.
Last year, the spot revolved around celebs forgetting incredibly obvious facts about themselves. Like Jennifer Aniston forgetting she worked with David Schwimmer on Friends or Jelly Roll trying to scrub tattoos off his face. For that teaser, it was David and Victoria Beckham recreating the viral “Be honest” moment from their Netflix doc series. The brand courted controversy when part of the spot joked about forgetting about a peanut allergy, a scene it cut before it aired during the game.
Big Game opportunity
Controversy aside, the Uber Eats ad isn’t backing away from the sense of humor and tone it’s established over the past few years. And despite the continued fragmentation of media and pop culture, the Super Bowl remains a unique opportunity.
“If we hadn’t been doing this before the last five years, it would have taken us a lot longer to really establish ourselves as a brand in mainstream culture,” says Jeffreys. “I think people now have a clearer understanding of our brand and tone because we’re consistently showing up with a very specific type of spot that is landing a specific type of humor. Even if the message changes, the core tenets of our brand are the same. So there is both a long- and short-term play there, which is why we keep coming back.”