Cantopop singer-songwriter, Gareth T, didn’t get to finish the love confession in his hit song. Until Uber gave him the chance to do so in Hong Kong – with an unexpected result. In a city where every minute counts, many Hongkongers still spend valuable time standing on the street trying to hail a taxi. But once you’ve booked an Uber, those few minutes before it arrives are yours to use.

In the new edition of Uber’s platform, Keep Doing What You Do, gave Gareth T gets three uninterrupted minutes before his ride arrived to finally say everything he never got to say in his hit song 早到的u (Your Ride Is Here), where an early-arriving Uber cuts short his romantic confession.

What begins as a heartfelt confession quickly escalates into full Cantopop spectacle, brought to life fantastically by Sweetshop director Jesse James McElroy. The ad culminates in Gareth levitating above the restaurant, singing in the rain, flanked by doves and wielding a sword.

“As Hong Kong’s ride-hailing category matures, Uber’s focus has shifted from competing with street-hailing to demonstrating the broader benefits of e-hailing. This new platform shows how the certainty of knowing when your ride will arrive gives people the freedom to make the most of every minute,” stated Celia Garforth, Special chief strategy officer Asia.

“It was a lot of fun to build on a song about Uber that Hong Kong already knew and loved. Rewriting it with renowned Hong Kong lyricist Wyman Wong, and turning it into an Uber campaign was delightfully meta. Underneath it all is a simple benefit: when you know when your ride is expected to arrive, those three minutes are yours to use however you want,” added Lisa Fedyszyn & Jonathan McMahon, Special chief creative officers.

“This shift in strategy comes at the perfect time for Uber Hong Kong. We love how, at its core, this platform and the launch campaign speaks to a cultural value that resonates so strongly with Hongkongers: efficiency and the smart use of time. And working with such a cultural star like Gareth T was the perfect way to launch,”commented Toga Leung, head of marketing, Uber Mobility Hong Kong.

The campaign also includes two further films showing everyday Hongkongers maximising the three-minutes before their Uber arrives. It’s just enough time for a woman to sneak in a quick ‘huff’ of her cat, or for a dad to sprint through the house switching off everything before the family heads to the airport.

“This platform opens up endless opportunities for entertainment. We loved exploring all the real – and completely ridiculous – things Hongkongers suddenly have ‘just enough time to do’ before their Uber arrives… especially the art of cat huffing,” stated James Sexton & Harry Neville-Towle creative directors, Special.

The campaign launched with a 60-second hero film, supported by 30- and 15-second edits, social content, contextual creative, OOH, online video and digital audio.

Credits:
Client: Uber Taxi
Director of Marketing, APAC: Ally Doube
Head of Marketing, Hong Kong: Toga Leung
Marketing Lead, Hong Kong: Charmaine Wu
Assistant Brand Manager, Hong Kong: Venus To 
Creative Director, APAC: Adam Ledbury
Media Lead, Hong Kong: Victoria Etheridge
Head of Communications – Candy Lui
Lead Creative Agency: Special 
Partners & CEOs: Lindsey Evans & Cade Heyde
Partners & CCOs: Julian Schreiber & Tom Martin
CCOs: Lisa Fedyszyn & Jonathan McMahon
Creative Directors: James Sexton & Harry Neville-Towle
Team Lead: Tim Leathart
Business Director: Megan McIntosh
Chief Strategy Officer, Asia: Celia Garforth
Group Strategy Director: Heather Sheen
Creative & Production Partner: Omelette Company Limited
Creative Directors & Founders: Vivian Fung & Charles Hau
Copywriter: Jonathan Lee
Producers: Anita Chan & Benny Fung
Executive Producer: Isa Wan 
Talent Manager: Fiona Lam

Production Company: The Sweetshop Asia
Director: Jesse James McElroy
Executive Producer: Penny Woo & Jennifer Crabb
Director of Photography: Aaron McLisky
Producer: Jess Bell
Assistant Producer: Sean Lim
Production Service: Spur Link
Line Producer: Pat Lui
Production Manager : Tim Fung
Production Coordinator : Chris Luk
1st Assistant Director: Willson Wong

Offline Editor: Laurence Van Camp @ ARC
VFX & Online: Heckler Shanghai                  
Colourist: Ben Eagleton
Sound Designer & Mixing: Fvse Singapore

Composer: 湯令山，葉崇恩
OP: Warner Music Hong Kong Limited
Music Arranger: Fves Singapore
Sub-Author: 黃偉文 Wyman Wong  

Service Production: One Twenty-three
Social Director: Hanley Chu
Social Producer: Mag Lam 
Social Production Assistants: Tony Luk, Sparrow & KingJin Cheung
Director of Photography: Nic Ko 

PR & Event Company: Sparkling Code Plus Limited
Media Agency: EssenceMediacom