Tag: Special

Australia – Special has appointed acclaimed creative duo Peter Defries and Alan Wilson as regional group creative directors for Uber and Uber Eats, further strengthening its leadership across the APAC region.

Defries and Wilson bring 14 years of creative partnership to the role, returning to Australia after nearly a decade in New York. During their time in the U.S., they served as executive creative directors at BBH NY, where they led work for the J.M. Smucker Company’s portfolio of FMCG brands, along with major accounts including Walmart and Cadillac.

Their work has been recognised with more than 30 international awards. In 2022, both were named among D&AD’s Top 20 Executive Creative Directors worldwide.

“We’ve been massive fans of Special for some time now. Watching from the other side of the world, we were consistently blown away by the breakthrough work they produced, especially with Uber and Uber Eats. So when the opportunity arose to be part of it, we couldn’t say no,” Wilson shared.

Defries added, “Leaving New York wasn’t a decision we took lightly—it gave us some of the best experiences of our careers. But the chance to come home and join this extremely talented team, pushing creative boundaries at a world-class level right here in our own backyard, was simply too good to pass up.”

Defries and Wilson will join Celia Garforth and Lauren Portelli as part of Special’s leadership team on the Uber account across APAC. Garforth and Portelli have played a key role in growing the agency’s strategic and creative remit with Uber and Uber Eats in the region.

The partnership now spans ANZ, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, with all work led from Special’s Sydney office. In 2024, the team’s work was recognised with a Gold Effie for the ‘Get Almost Almost Anything’ campaign in ANZ. Special also operates an on-the-ground team in Tokyo to support the expansion of Uber’s business in Japan.

Tom Martin, partner and CCO at Special Australia, commented, “We’re pumped to have Pete and Alan boomerang back to Australia and back into Special. We’re at our best when we bring together top-tier humans who get what it takes to make great work and do it with care, craft and real collaboration.”

Cade Heyde, global partner of Special, added, “The magic of Special Group comes from the extraordinary people behind it. Celia and Lauren have been instrumental in building our creative reputation across APAC. And now, with Peter and Alan joining them, we believe we have one of the best, most exciting teams in the world.”

Japan – To celebrate National Cat Day, Uber Eats has teamed up with Special (Australia and Japan), Whatever Tokyo, and EssenceMediacom to launch a playful new initiative in Japan, urging pet owners to stay in and enjoy quality time with their furry companions over the long weekend.

This February, Japan will observe a long weekend with National Cat Day on February 22 and a National Holiday on February 24. To mark the occasion, Uber Eats has introduced a limited run of Uber Eats Pet Buttons, designed to playfully encourage pet owners to stay in and order food, giving them more time to spend with their furry companions.

When pressed, the pet buttons play the well-known phrase from campaigns featuring Naka Riisa and Nakao Akiyoshi, “Uber Eatsで、いーんじゃない?” (Why Not Uber Eats?), serving as a light-hearted prompt for pet owners to stay in and share a meal with their furry companions.

The initiative will be shared through social media, digital platforms, and influencer collaborations, encouraging pet owners across Japan to spend more time at home with their furry companions.

Yasunari Aoyama, brand marketing manager for Japan at Uber Eats, said, “At Uber Eats, we know pets are a huge part of the family. Pets and Uber Eats have one thing in common… they want their humans to stay inside.”

“We wanted to give pets the opportunity to suggest ‘Why not Uber Eats’ to their owners so they can keep their humans home and enjoy their favourite meals together this weekend,” Aoyama added.

Hong Kong – Uber has teamed up with independent creative agency Special and martial arts icon Louis Koo for its latest campaign, spotlighting the challenges of traditional street hailing and showcasing the ease of using Uber Taxi.

The campaign cleverly taps into the double meaning of ‘Kung Fu,’ which in Cantonese also signifies ‘effort.’ Uber and Special set out to depict a dramatic Kung Fu-style standoff as the ideal metaphor for the tiring ordeal of hailing a taxi on Hong Kong’s bustling streets.

In the campaign film, Louis effortlessly navigates through the chaos, heading straight to his e-hailed Uber Taxi and bypassing the struggle of street hailing. The campaign was teased on his social media, where he announced he was “saying goodbye to Kung Fu for good”—only to reveal that it was the wasted effort of finding a taxi he was leaving behind.

Special also collaborated with local partners, including Kung Fu specialist director Adam Liu and stunt coordinator Jack Wong, to ensure an authentic and true-to-genre portrayal of martial arts in the campaign.

Lauren Portelli, managing director at Special, said, “Bringing together a hybrid team of our Australian brains trust with incredible local partners helped us create an idea that truly felt Hong Kong. Filmed in the heart of Causeway Bay, we were able to capture how easily Uber Taxi lets you bypass the obstacles of street hailing, getting you where you need to go.”

Sarah Parris & Dan O’Connell, creative directors at Special, added, “Martial arts films are experiencing a bit of a renaissance in Hong Kong cinema at the moment, and we wanted to make something that felt true to the genre. Working with one of the best directors in the region, Adam Liu, and a bona fide legend of the Hong Kong film industry, Louis Koo, was great. They made the project as easy as e-hailing with Uber.”

The brand campaign encompasses TV, online platforms, social media, and out-of-home advertising, complemented by a promotional initiative offering HK $1,000,000 in discounts on promotional cards distributed throughout the streets of Hong Kong.

Toga Leung, head of marketing at Uber Hong Kong, explained, “At Uber Taxi, we are dedicated to providing an effortless experience for the people of Hong Kong. As a local who grew up captivated by iconic Kung Fu movies, I’m excited to see that passion come to life in this culturally relevant and entertaining campaign. Collaborating with a diverse creative team at Special, alongside our talented local partners, has been instrumental in shaping this campaign. With over a decade of experience in Hong Kong, we understand the unique challenges residents face while travelling—challenges that often require their own form of ‘Kung Fu.’”