The delivery service, Uber Eats, has launched a new round of advertisements within the “Get Almost, Almost Anything” campaign, with one spot featuring Sesame Street characters.
Developed by Special U.S. and directed by Nick Ball of MJZ, the campaign continues a comedic approach that translates everyday product names into literal visual gags before revealing the actual goods available through the platform.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the campaign.
The Details:
- The :30 “Burt’s Bees” saw overall response outperform—with a +99-point gap over the average food delivery ad (past year), placing in the 100th percentile. This is an exceptional result, meaning the ad outperformed virtually every other spot in the category over the past year in viewer reactions:
- The Sesame Street characters delivered top echelon breakthrough, with Attention (+118 pts over benchmark) and Likeability (+125 pts) in the 100th percentile. 46% of viewers named the characters as the Single Best Thing about the ad, dwarfing the category norm of 11% and making the ad stand out as a result (Change in the top percentile).
- However, Information scored +58 pts above norm—technically a strength, but the weakest of the persuasion components. The ad sparked Funny and Incredulous emotional response (and some Dislike at low signal) but did not heavily communicate product details, which is consistent with a character-driven creative approach.
- This likely led to a lower-than-average consumer consideration as Top 2 Box purchase/visit intent of 46% trailed the 51% food delivery benchmark. Viewers might have enjoyed the ad more than they connected it to a personal need or reason to purchase.
- Unfortunately, brand confusion was evident in viewer responses when asked to identify the advertised brand. Just 57% recalled Uber Eats on an unaided basis (-19 pts under norm), while 31% reported something else. 22% of non-matches referenced Burt’s Bees as the product.
- The Sesame Street characters delivered top echelon breakthrough, with Attention (+118 pts over benchmark) and Likeability (+125 pts) in the 100th percentile. 46% of viewers named the characters as the Single Best Thing about the ad, dwarfing the category norm of 11% and making the ad stand out as a result (Change in the top percentile).
- Second-by-second trace results reflect high viewer interest but a notable drop in consumer engagement at the presentation of the Burt’s Bees product name, with a lower level actively engaged by the time the Uber Eats branding appeared:
- Viewer sentiment on “Burt’s Bees” reflects how the creative excelled at capturing Attention and generating positive emotional response through nostalgia and humor, but struggled with message clarity. This spot will likely need multiple exposures for the visual gag to land with clarity for Uber Eats.
- The use of Bert and Ernie was overwhelmingly praised and served as the primary attention-grabber across demographics. The character licensing investment is paying dividends in attention and positive sentiment. Of course, a small section felt the Sesame Street characters didn’t logically connect to either Burt’s Bees or Uber Eats.
- Many viewers who “got” the concept on first viewing also appreciated the “Bert/Burt’s Bees” wordplay and the creative connection between the letter B, bees, and the brand. The ad successfully entertained viewers, with many describing it as funny, engaging, and rewatchable.
- However, a substantial portion of viewers were confused about what was actually being advertised—Burt’s Bees, Uber Eats, or both. The clever wordplay (Bert/Burt’s Bees) overshadowed the primary message that Uber Eats delivers more than food, pointing to opportunity for earlier branding or perhaps voiceover on the primary messaging as waiting until the final seconds proved risky in this case. A frequency media plan and/or non-skippable media in the early days of the campaign can also help. Certainly, some viewers successfully received the intended message that Uber Eats delivers non-food items, but many didn’t connect these dots until the very end—or at all.
- Viewer sentiment on “Burt’s Bees” reflects how the creative excelled at capturing Attention and generating positive emotional response through nostalgia and humor, but struggled with message clarity. This spot will likely need multiple exposures for the visual gag to land with clarity for Uber Eats.
Sample comments on the :30 “Burt’s Bees”
“The Muppets are all great engagers. I like the play on words for Bert’s bees which changed to Burt’s bees, which can be delivered to you by Uber Eats.”
Female 50+
“This ad was pure genius. So funny. Love that it was Bert and Ernie teaching letters and the bees were attacking Ernie. Well done.”
Female 36-49
“I did not like Bert and Ernie and bees and possible stinging. I have no idea how that relates to Uber Eats.”
Female 36-49
“Entertaining ad. I would watch it again. But I don’t see how this advertises Uber Eats. Maybe I’m missing something. Calling back to Bert and Ernie is a good way to catch people’s attention, but I’m not getting Uber Eats more often because of this ad. Very confusing.”
Male 18-35
“The fact that the advisor puts the letter B in front of your face, right off the jump, was brilliant, and then reiterating the names Bert and the word Bees. As well as using the characters Bert and Ernie was also brilliant cause then how could you forget it was an advertisement for Berts Bee’s. Or was it an advertisement for Uber Eats? Pulling that in the end was also genius cause I will remember I can get Berts Bee’s products delivered to me. Very nice.”
Female 36-49
“The characters didn’t really lend anything to the product. The product was unrelated to the characters. The character part was funny. It was kind of a letdown when I saw the sponsor of the ad.”
Male 50+
“It was an entertaining ad. The use of Bert and Ernie with bees flying around was a great way to advertise Burt’s Bees products.”
Male 50+
“Loved using Bert and Ernie. Also, shows you can order other items besides food on Uber Eats.”
Male 50+
“It was very confusing. Not sure what item or brand it was even featuring. Way too much going on.”
Female 36-49
“I didn’t like that it was about bees, but the end showed Uber Eats. Not sure what the ad was for.”
Male 18-35
“Well, it doesn’t make me want to get Uber Eats, but I think the characters are cool.”
Male 18-35
“I love it. It’s so nostalgic with the Sesame Street characters and I love the word play.”
Female 18-35
“I liked Bert and Ernie and the situation as well as the play on words with Bert’s Bees. However, I would never spend extra money on having those items sent to me with a delivery service that charges more when I can purchase them on Amazon.”
Female 36-49
“I like the ad, but I feel like it misses the main message. I believe that the ad was about something regarding bees and honey. In reality, it’s about Uber Eats and I didn’t get that message right away like I should.”
Female 18-35
“Nice job, it was fun to watch and made me laugh. It even made me want to use the service.”
Male 36-49
“I thought the ad was funny and informative. I thought it was relatable as well as enticing.”
Male 36-49
“It was hilarious & point making. I also love Uber Eats & what they do!”
Male 18-35
- When evaluating the broader “Get Almost, Almost Anything” newest campaign ads, there was a wide variance in how the comedic misdirection landed with audiences:
- Both “Hot Dogs” and “Head of Lettuce” grabbed Attention effectively, but none of the new spots met normative persuasive ability, with Top 2 Box intent reaching 46% or lower. “Hot Dogs” matched “Burt’s Bees” in this regard and would best be rotated in media plans while “Head of Lettuce” could be de-emphasized.
- The “Shower Caddy” :30 struggled across almost every component, with significant weaknesses in Likeability (-103 pts vs norm), Information (-91 pts), Change (-70 pts), Desire (-104 pts), and Relevance (-113 pts). It also drove the lowest Top 2 Box intent of the campaign at just 30%. As such, Uber Eats might redirect resources from this creative to the more successful options.
- Both “Hot Dogs” and “Head of Lettuce” grabbed Attention effectively, but none of the new spots met normative persuasive ability, with Top 2 Box intent reaching 46% or lower. “Hot Dogs” matched “Burt’s Bees” in this regard and would best be rotated in media plans while “Head of Lettuce” could be de-emphasized.
- Burt and Ernie clearly represent Uber Eats’ best opportunity among the most recent crop of ads, while “Hot Dogs” showed positive response across most food delivery intender groups, and some strength among female viewers (especially 36+):
- This suggests targeting opportunities to maximize the contribution of “Hot Dogs.”
- DoorDash achieved above-norm consumer intent and positive resonance with a recent :15 NBA tie-in offering $5 off when a player scores 50 points:
- The pull of the deal/offer was evident and reflective of the current economic strain affecting the use of food delivery services and eating out for many consumers.
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: Bailey Lauerman