This ad, aired by Uber Eats in October 2020, features the infamous gymnastic Olympian, Simone Biles, and the Queer Eye star, Jonathan Van Ness. In the short, 16 second advertisement, Van Ness claims that he will be eating a falafel wrap and sweet potato fries, courtesy of Uber Eats. Dressed in a tight, glittery leotard identical to Biles, Van Ness drops into the splits on a balance beam when Biles asks, “splitsies?” in response to Van Ness’ order.
The Uber Eats advertisement has a multi-faceted marketing approach, as it specifically targets ethos and kairos to pitch a claim to the audience. First, the advertisement uses two key relevant pop culture celebrities: Jonathan Van Ness and Simone Biles. Van Ness and his show, Queer Eye, are both wildly popular among the American public. An individual characterized by his expressed femininity and passion for make overs, appearing in a glitzy leotard is not out of the ordinary. Van Ness’ obvious starstruck enthusiasm with Biles, a sentiment many Americans share over the young and talented gymnast, is apparent in his drop into the splits when Biles asks to share food. In the presence of such an influential athlete, Van Ness attempts to demonstrate his own athletic ability to garner approval from Biles.
Additionally, the advertisement addresses two distinct dimensions of a kairotic opportunity. First, these two celebrities have gained popularity among the American public in recent years. After the 2016 Olympics, Biles has appeared in many ad campaigns and has created a substantial number of fans. As the Olympics draw closer (hopefully in the summer of 2021), ads that feature Olympic athletes are likely to make an appearance as fans are more inclined to follow their favorite sports and athletes. Van Ness’ show, Queer Eye, began in a 2018 Netflix reboot of an older, similar series and has since produced 5 seasons of fabulous make overs. Both Biles and Van Ness demonstrate interest and use of the food delivery interface, and bolster the company’s reputation among existing and potential consumers. The salience of these personalities and their cause for fame is relatively new, and thus an effective marketing strategy.
Secondly, Uber Eats has grown substantially in the past 10 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. As many restaurants have no or limited capacity seating, take out options have become increasingly popular, not only as a method of convenience for consumers, but also as a way for small businesses and corporations to maintain consistent revenue as the pandemic rages. As rival businesses like Door Dash, Grub Hub, and Uber Eats scramble for their stake in market share, their advertisements must effectively reach their audiences.
Finally, the advertisement targets the American commonplace of fast food. A nation characterized by access to a variety of fast food options, this Grub Hub advertisement makes that desire a reality. Instead of taking the time to sit in a restaurant or pick up an order, customers can place orders and have them delivered anywhere, even the gym (an Uber Eats bag is placed by Van Ness before he drops into the splits)!
The Grub Hub advertisement uses celebrity ethos and kairos created by the pandemic, and plays on the American desire for fast and easy food options to pitch an effective campaign to its target audience.
