Uber Eats has just launched a brand campaign in partnership with Mother London that focuses on an oft-overlooked aspect of modern living — downtime.
The “Embrace the art of doing less” marketing campaign reminds viewers to reject hustle culture and make room for activities and people they care about.
“After lockdown, we all seem to have accelerated back to a hustle culture of more more more,” said Martin Rose of Mother London. “Rather than aiding that, we wanted to focus on the opposite, the joy of doing less.”
Infinite to-do lists, work-related matters, parenting and keeping up with interests and hobbies can get overwhelming fast. And let’s not forget getting enough sleep, on top of everything.
In a culture that pressures people to deliver more than what’s humanely possible and shames them when they fail to live up to expectations, it’s common to make sacrifices to maintain appearances.
The first things to go are usually the creature comforts that make life enjoyable.
Uber Eats recognizes the shortcomings of hustle culture, and while it can’t change society from the ground up, it can provide a measure of relief.
And how do they do it?
By eliminating at least some aspects of people’s to-do lists — shopping and preparing food.
The campaign focuses on the benefits of making at least a bit of free time for whatever has been missing from someone’s life.
“We’ve been conditioned to keep busy, keep hustling and use every minute of every day to be productive,” said Maya Gallego-Spiers, head of marketing at Uber Eats UK&I.
“In a world where the pressure is high to do more more more, we hope to take a little off your plate and give you some time back so you can embrace the art of doing less.”
The “Embrace the art of doing less” campaign features three 40-second video adverts, each presenting different ways to spend quality time, even if it’s short-lived.
Nails, Dance and Parrot each begin with the opening statement of “Uber Eats delivers a bit of downtime,” then proceeds to show people making the most out of the time they have before delivery arrives, ending in a “Uber Eats: Get Anything” slogan.
Six social films will continue spreading the core message of the 40-second shorts, relying on out-of-home advertising and bold typography.
“Focusing on the wonderful weirdness that has time to flourish when we order a delivery and take an evening to be ourselves,” added Hannah Tarpey of Mother London. “We wanted all the work to feel effortless and have space to breathe - films without unnecessary cuts, posters without too much fuss - creating refreshing pauses in a climate of noise.”
The Uber Eats campaign is more than welcome in these trying times when downtime seems like a memory long gone.
