Super Bowl viewers are bound to get at least one song stuck in their heads, whether it’s from the halftime show or a commercial. This year, however, Uber is hoping that the earworm audiences won’t be able to shake is the name of its membership program. 

Uber is returning to the Big Game for the third year in a row with an ad promoting Uber One, its membership program that brings together its rides, deliveries and groceries businesses. It is a shift in focus for the brand, whose two previous Super Bowl spots promoted Uber Eats. 

The teaser, released today, stars hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who knows a thing or two about creating a catchy tune. Uber turns to Combs with a big request: dream up a hit song for Uber One. 

The brand’s executives explain to Combs and his team that they want a song to help put Uber One on the map, but Combs’ spokesperson is adamant that “Diddy don’t do jingles.”

After some back and forth, the spokesperson agrees that “Diddy does do hits.” Combs, who has been silent throughout the exchange, finally invites the execs to meet him at the studio. 

Uber’s teaser will run during the Pro Bowl on Feb. 5, the Grammy Awards on Feb. 6 and NCAA men’s basketball games before the full 60-second ad launches on Feb. 7 ahead of the Super Bowl. 

The brand said that “viewers can expect more fun cameos” in the full-length spot, which will air during the second ad break of the game’s second quarter.

“As the only global company that helps you go anywhere and get anything, our membership program is the best way to save. We want people to remember that, so for this year’s Super Bowl ad, ” Danielle Hawley, Uber’s global executive creative director, said in a statement. “We paired some of the biggest hitmakers of all time with one of the most esteemed producers in the game to help Uber One catch on.”

Agency Special U.S. created the ad and Andreas Nilsson directed it through production company Biscuit. 

Brand expansion

Uber’s previous Super Bowl outings have been for delivery service Uber Eats. Its 2021 ad united Wayne’s World characters Wayne and Garth with rapper Cardi B.

Last year, it showed how Uber Eats could deliver more than just food, with a silly spot featuring celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to Jennifer Coolidge biting into inedible items. 

Uber’s latest Super Bowl campaign shows a wider breadth of its brand, which began as a rideshare app in San Francisco in 2009 and debuted Uber Eats in 2015. 

After launching in the U.S. in 2021, Uber One expanded to the U.K., Germany and Mexico last year. The subscription service costs $9.99 in the U.S. and offers users discounts on rides and Uber Eats deliveries, no delivery fees and other perks such as priority service. 

CREDITS:

Vice president, global marketing: David Mogensen
Global executive creative director: Danielle Hawley
Head of marketing, North America: Georgie Jeffreys
Global creative director: Ecole Weinstein 
Marketing manager II: Liza Keller
Social and digital marketing lead: Kaitlyn Mendoza
Sr. marketing manager: Meredith Savatsky
Brand media lead: Gracie Childress
Brand media manager: Keith Shattuck
Research and insights lead: Dana LaMendola
Agency: Special U.S.
Partner / CEO: Cade Heyde 
Partner / CCO: Tom Martin, Julian Schreiber
Partner / Executive creative director: Dave Horton, Matthew Woodhams-Roberts
Partner / Chief strategy officer: Kelsey Hodgkin
Creative director: Phil Fattore
Associate creative director: Alyssa Cavanaugh
Head of strategy: Kelsey Karson
Strategy director: Janet Shih
General manager: Dom Dalton
Account director: Lindsay Friedgood, Bella Timar
Executive producer: Amanda Weiss, Felix Messina
Producer: Luke Franek
Head of business affairs: LaTanya Ware
Business affairs lead: Keli Christy
Production company: Biscuit
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Partner/Managing director: Shawn Lacy
EP: Holly Vega
Head of production: Sean Moody
Producer: Andrew Travelstead 
Production supervisor: Ryan Bishop
Stills production: 31 Mile
Photographer: Peter Yang
Producer: Nik Atkins 
Edit: Exile
Editor: Katie Turinkski, Jacob Schulsinger, Nate Gross
Executive producer: Jennifer Locke
Producer: Brian Schimpf 
VFX: Pariah
Color: Trafik
Music: Walker
Mix: Eleven