Uber Eats has launched its first-ever global delivery campaign, “Who Could Cook At A Time Like This?”, strategically timed to coincide with the concentrated demand windows of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The creative concept features chef Gordon Ramsay utilizing physical comedy and his famously abrasive persona to act as an anti-cooking advocate, urging fans to order delivery rather than miss the tournament action.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the spots among US viewers.
The Details:
Among pro soccer followers:
- Among followers of pro soccer, the :60 anthem “Who Could Cook at a Time Like This?” as well as three :15 spots outpaced the average ad (across industries) within this audience:
- “Who Could Cook at a Time Like This?” :60 and “Chili Cooking Interrupted” :15 delivered the top overall response +32 pts above the audience one-year norm within the Uber Eats World Cup campaign featuring Gordon Ramsay. The :60 earned this through Desire and Relevance (outright strengths at +39 pts and +45 pts above norm, respectively). This campaign indeed felt like it was made for them.
- However, each of the :15 spots converted better with soccer fans than their component scores suggest, showing excellent media efficiency. “Deals On Food During Big Games” :15 drove the highest Top 2 Box purchase intent of the portfolio at 71% (+6 pts above the 65% soccer follower norm—and well above the gen pop food delivery norm of 51%), making it the most commercially efficient execution with this audience despite ranking third on overall response. However, “Game Time Snacks Delivered Fast” :15 and “Chili Cooking Interrupted” :15 were close behind at 68%/69%. This confirms an opportunity for spot rotation to avoid burnout within media plans.
- Regardless of creative execution, followers of the sport identified Gordon Ramsay as the key to the positive impression made, with the ‘characters’ cited as the Single Best Thing at rates 2X to 4X the average ad. 38% of viewers of the :60 anthem (nearly 4X the normative rate) indicated Ramsay was central to their ad experience.
- The strongest intent, however, was not surprisingly developed by the :15 that was the most balanced between characters and the brand in the eyes of the viewer. The anthem, in contrast, earned affinity and brand equity, rather than maximizing conversion.
- “Who Could Cook at a Time Like This?” :60 and “Chili Cooking Interrupted” :15 delivered the top overall response +32 pts above the audience one-year norm within the Uber Eats World Cup campaign featuring Gordon Ramsay. The :60 earned this through Desire and Relevance (outright strengths at +39 pts and +45 pts above norm, respectively). This campaign indeed felt like it was made for them.
- Second-by-second trace of the anthem reveals the instant engagement delivered by Ramsay, which held above the normative (shaded) range throughout the full :60 length among the soccer following audience:
- Viewer sentiment among pro soccer followers on the :60 “Who Could Cook at a Time Like This?” confirms the successful execution of humor and breakthrough by Ramsay and clear messaging that landed positively.
- As intended, viewers appreciated the authenticity of Ramsay’s on-brand personality (“acting like himself”) and the irony of a world-famous chef endorsing food delivery was noted in positive terms. The Ramsay partnership delivered exceptional ROI on celebrity endorsement, creating memorable moments that most in this audience actively enjoyed rather than merely tolerated.
- The sports game day context resonated and clear value proposition was understood, thanks to the simple but tight concept development.
- Of course, a few concerns on tone and/or vulgarity were mentioned, part and parcel when employing Ramsay.
- Viewer sentiment among pro soccer followers on the :60 “Who Could Cook at a Time Like This?” confirms the successful execution of humor and breakthrough by Ramsay and clear messaging that landed positively.
Sample comments among pro soccer followers on the “Who Could Cook at a Time Like This?” :60
“The humor in this ad was very effective. Gordon Ramsay is so funny and perfect for this type of ad. It flowed well and also made me crave some takeout. The variety of scenes and shots were also really well done and actually made me laugh, which is rare for an ad to do. It really does make its point effectively. Who wants to be stuck in the kitchen when a game’s going on?”
Female 18-35
“Love the chef. The ad is funny and tells viewers about game day deals and shows how Uber Eats can make life easier.”
Male 50+
“I thought it was hilarious to see Gordon Ramsey delivering for Uber Eats and acting like himself throughout the ad.”
Female 36-49
“I didn’t like the advertisement because I felt it crossed my sense of respect and decency.”
Female 50+
“It’s super ironic how they use a famous chef for Uber Eats. Quite funny.”
Male 18-35
“Very, very funny and unexpected. Caught my attention right away.”
Male 50+
“This was great to have someone everyone knows and loves. Great ad.”
Male 36-49
“Spend less time in the kitchen preparing food for your event and more time ENJOYING your meal during your event.”
Male 36-49
Across the gen pop audience:
- Across the broader gen pop audience, the campaign was also well-received for the creative approach to conveying a single clear message that surprised and delighted many (but not all):
- “Game Time Snacks Delivered Fast” :15 was the portfolio leader for the broader audience. With overall response (as measured by Ace Score) +68 pts above the one-year food delivery norm, it posted the strongest creative performance in the set and was the only execution to convert above the category purchase intent benchmark. It also swept six of seven components as outright strengths—a genuinely rare profile.
- Ramsay was again central to the impact each spot made on viewers, with each earning above-norm Likeability and Watchability and three of the four ads also outpacing normative Attention.
- The anthem “Who Could Cook at a Time Like This?” :60 was again the brand affinity anchor here. At +60 pts above norm, it delivered clear strengths on six of seven components including Attention, Likeability, Information, Change, Desire, and Relevance. Despite this creative response across the board, the longer form did not tip consumers to conversion at the same rate as it entertained (but still met category benchmarks).
- “Game Time Snacks Delivered Fast” :15 was the portfolio leader for the broader audience. With overall response (as measured by Ace Score) +68 pts above the one-year food delivery norm, it posted the strongest creative performance in the set and was the only execution to convert above the category purchase intent benchmark. It also swept six of seven components as outright strengths—a genuinely rare profile.
- Emotional profiling of viewer comments on each creative focused on the Funny humor:
- Gen pop viewers expressed incredulity at the unexpected role Ramsay played in the campaign, which delivered the humor that was Memorable to many and, as expected given it is Ramsay, Inappropriate or Disliked by some.
- The campaign also resonated across followers of many pro and college sports, pointing to the opportunity to expand target media beyond World Cup programming to both improve ROI and expand reach, if desired.
- Gen pop viewers expressed incredulity at the unexpected role Ramsay played in the campaign, which delivered the humor that was Memorable to many and, as expected given it is Ramsay, Inappropriate or Disliked by some.
- Both the anthem and the :15 “Game Time Snacks Delivered Fast” resonated most positively with food delivery intenders across the spectrum:
- As such, these creative executions could be the focus of any broader audience media plans the brand might develop.
- Despite the success of this World Cup campaign, DoorDash had two spots that persuaded followers of pro soccer a bit more effectively than Uber Eats’ best performer:
- The official sponsor featured the brand delivering to fan watch parties along with cameos from Ricardo Kaká, Alex Morgan, and global creator Khaby Lame. A Kaká :15 (74% Top 2 Box) and a Lame :30 (76%) were the brand’s strongest converters.
- Among pro soccer followers, sentiment suggests that the World Cup delivery message was the main takeaway for the DoorDash campaign while Gordon Ramsay was the more memorable aspect that viewers chose to talk about for this brand’s humorous campaign:
- DoorDash’ direct approach appears to have resonated more successfully with male pro soccer followers.
Ineffective creative, even if delivered to the right audience, results in missed opportunity and performance shortfalls. Great creative delivered poorly also results in failed campaigns.
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Creative Agency: Mother