Hamill and Stewart face off in tense tomato-tomahto battle for Uber Eats

Special Group Australia's ‘Tonight I’ll be eating’ platform, which the agency debuted for Uber Eats in Australia and later took to Japan and Taiwan, has made it to the US and Canada—with an epic clash between the biggest stars of the world's two biggest entertainment franchises that have the word 'Star' in the name.

But in this case, 'epic clash' means that Mark Hamill and Patrick Stewart bicker over the pronunciation of 'tomato' and trade barbs while playing cutthroat games of air hockey and Connect Four. 

Special Group launched the platform for Uber Eats in Australia in 2019, with a spot featuring Kim Kardashian-West and Australian character actor Magda Szubanski. The concept has also played in Taiwan and Japan. 

The North America campaign includes TV, online, radio, CRM, out of home and social media.

What they said

Cade Heyde, founding partner, Special Group Australia:

The ‘Tonight I’ll Be Eating’ brand platform has had immense success in this market as well as across Asia Pacific. Expanding the platform to the other side of the world is a real honour and an incredibly proud moment for our agency.

Georgie Jeffreys, head of marketing for the US and Canada, Uber Eats:

I'm thrilled to bring our ‘Tonight, I’ll be eating...’ (TIBE) platform to the US and Canada. It was a natural progression since TIBE has proven to be a highly effective advertising campaign for Uber Eats. It has helped drive record levels of customer penetration and brand affinity in the five markets in which it’s now live, and we’re excited to continue to expand the franchise with this latest launch.

Tom Martin and Julian Schreiber, Joint CCOs and partners, Special Group:

We’re very proud ‘Tonight I’ll Be Eating’ has become such a cultural phenomenon in Australia and is being taken to the US and Canada. ... It is not often Australian creative work travels to the other side of the world, and we are extremely excited to watch this platform grow.

It delights Ad Nut's nerdy heart to see these two beloved actors together (even though Ad Nut cynically wonders whether they were ever actually in the same room), and the work smartly takes advantage of the fact that both are perfectly happy to make fun of themselves. The spots hint at a shared history that Ad Nut enjoys imagining. The cricket bat is a nice touch, too. If Ad Nut may make a suggestion, Sir Ian McKellen would be a great addition for a followup series, which would bring the fandoms of both X-Men and Lord of the Rings into the fun. A squirrel can dream.

CREDITS

SPECIAL GROUP AUSTRALIA
Lindsey Evans: Founding Partner
Cade Heyde: Founding Partner
Julian Schreiber: CCO & Partner
Tom Martin: CCO & Partner
Rebecca Stambanis: Founding Partner – Melbourne
Jon Marshall: Creative Director
Caitlin Miller: Business Director
Will Sealey: Business Director
Esther Perls: Producer
Eileen Cosgrove-Moloney: Team Lead
Emily Stewart: Casting Director
Lachlan Stewart: Social Lead
Jesse Sinkiewicz: Business Affairs

UBER EATS
Danielle Trivisonno Hawley: Global Executive Creative Director
Georgie Jeffreys: Head of Marketing, US & Canada
Lauren Hussey: Senior Marketing Manager
Natalie Purbrick: Creative Director
Jessica Van Rooyen: Marketing Manager
Otto Linwood III: Creative Production Manager
Lexi Levin: Consumer Communications Manager
Rashad Suarez: Business Affairs Manager
Gracie Childress: Media Manager

SMUGGLER
Brian Carmody: Owner
Guy Shelmerdine: Director
Alison Junzman: EP
Donald Taylor: Producer
Edu Grau: DP

CARTEL EDIT
Andy McGraw: Editor
Matt Beradi: Jr. Editor
Roy Herbert: Assistant Editor
Greer Bratschie: Prodcuer

MPC
Dmitri Zola: Colorist
Diane Valera: Producer

PARLIAMENT VFX
Phil Crowe: CC & Founder
Enca Kaul: Head of Prodution

SINGING SERPENT
Glen Galloway: Owner/ Composer / Sound Design

ELEVEN SOUND
Jordan Metzler: Audio Mixer
Melissa Elson Brewer: Producer
Marco Tornillo: Assistant Mixer

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.