2022 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

When the pandemic hit, food delivery apps quickly became pivotal for restaurants. With multiple players making a heavy investment in the Quebec market, Uber Eats faced increased competition and needed to regain dominance. The goal was to adapt the successfully global Uber Eats 'Tonight, I’ll Be Eating' campaign for Quebec. Positioning Uber Eats as the brand that supports local restaurants and understands the unique Quebecois culture.

In the original campaign, unlikely pairs of superstars come together to surprise consumers. Their question quickly became: what unexpected pairing would resonate best in the hearts of Quebecois?

In Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens have cultivated a religious fandom. When thinking about local heroes to bring the campaign to life, their first creative instincts went to hockey - particularly to one moment in Quebec sports history.

For decades, the Canadiens were a successful team, winning a record 24 Stanley Cups. This ended abruptly on December 2nd, 1995, when Patrick Roy, the Hall of Famer and legendary Habs goalie, was left on the ice by his coach Mario Tremblay despite conceding nine goals. As Roy finally got off the ice, the two exchanged a stare that still haunts fans to this day. Roy left the team and the Canadiens seemed cursed. In fact, since the feud, the Habs have never reached the Stanley Cup final, and Tremblay and Roy never spoke again.

Fast forward 26 years. Uber Eats achieved the impossible by reuniting Roy and Tremblay for the first time in decades. The Reunion was born.

The campaign soft-launched with a tweet by Tremblay, quickly becoming a hot topic for journalists and fans. Hours later, the 0:30 TV spot aired during the Habs playoff game against the Maple Leafs. Watched live by 1 million Quebecois, the spot recreated the iconic stare and included jokes poking fun at the longstanding feud. It spread like wildfire on social media. Fans not only rejoiced - they couldn’t believe their eyes.

The magic continued as the Habs came back from the 3-1 series against the Leafs. The Habs later reached the Stanley Cup finals;
the first time since the feud.

The Reunion headlined across every major media outlet in Quebec. Tremblay and Roy were invited on various networks to discuss their reunion in association with Uber Eats. The campaign highlighted local restaurants and also contained two 0:15 spots and exclusive behind the-scenes content.

Gathering over 100 million media impressions, it engaged fans beyond industry benchmarks. The Reunion became widely shared not only in Quebec but amongst hockey fans all over the world.

Fans and hockey reporters took to Twitter to credit Uber Eats for ending the Habs curse, an iconic measure of success that goes beyond impressions and changes the course (and curse) of culture. The campaign won the heart of Quebecois, inspired people to reunite over a meal, and cemented its place in Quebec’s sports history.

Credits

Executive Creative Directors: Laura Serra, Dave Watson
Creative Directors: Anthony Hachez, Jason Souce, Nick Pilon
Associate Creative Directors: Henry Park, Kareem Halfawi
Senior Art Director: Thomas St-Hilaire
Art Director: Josh Levine
Designers: Mark Mabey, Victoria Scobbie, Sirena Lemere
Copywriters: Anthony Hachez, Frédéric Simard, Philippe Comeau, Guillaume Blanchet, Simon
Beaudry, Catherine Martellini, Yulenka Rebello
VP, Client Service: Jean-Francois Grenier
Account Director: Anthony Pelletier
Project Manager: Catherine Miron, Elena Korobskaya, Brandon O. Vignali
Executive Producer: Clair Galea
Producer: Catherine Dumas
Talent Outreach Producer: Marie-Pierre Poulin
Post Producer: Annick D’Auteuil
Production Company: Gorditos
Director: Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais
DP: André Turpin
Producer: Saskia Von Lignau
Editor: CAG / Véronique Barbe
Photographer: Raphaël Ouellet
Finish House: Shed
Production: Josée-Anne Choquette/Catherine Paillé
VFX/On-Line: Dominique Belletête
Colorist: Charles-Étienne Pascal
Audio (Music, SFX, MIx): Circonflex/Paul-Étienne Côté
Global Agency: Special Group