Tom Martin & Julian Schreiber

Why does watching football make us hungry? The answer has been right under our noses. Is it a coincidence that goalposts look like fries? Or that scrambles and pancake blocks are actual plays? How convenient that players named Ham, Peppers and Mayo sound like a sandwich?

Food and football are tangled everywhere in the NFL. But no one asked why.

This year, Uber Eats exposed America’s biggest conspiracy. The NFL was invented to sell food.

All season we revealed hundreds of hidden links between football and food, turning the NFL into one giant ad for Uber Eats. The campaign peaked at the 2025 Super Bowl and went on to win 7 Cannes Lions including a Gold in Direct.

Virgin Australia has always said they are different. But when we relaunched them after administration, we knew that was not enough. To regain trust and relevance, they needed to prove it by making real changes to the flying experience, not just talk about it.

Our new brand platform, Bring On Wonderful, announced their ambition to make flying uplifting for all. So we set out to tackle one of aviation’s most universally understood pain points, the middle seat, and make it uplifting too.

The Middle Seat Lottery was a first of its kind experience innovation designed to make every seat on our planes wonderful, even the ones in the middle. Every middle seat became a lottery ticket, giving passengers the chance to win unique prizes. Suddenly, the middle seat was transformed into a new media channel, supported by TV, social, outdoor, in flight entertainment, seat back cards, announcements, emails and a customised in app experience.

The simple truth about the middle seat resonated so powerfully that, despite only running in Australia, the idea sparked global conversation. It even appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and Saturday Night Live.

For decades, New Zealand has used its natural beauty to market itself to tourists globally. But as other countries also began promoting themselves in this same way, NZ lost some of its uniqueness. So we developed a strategy to evolve the brand platform and showcase beautiful landscapes through the uniquely warm, generous and welcoming people who live there.

As the first country to see the sunrise each day, we gave New Zealanders the official role of greeting the world every single morning for a year. A gesture that demonstrated the warmth of the people whilst showcasing 365 different landscapes, activities and destinations.

In Australia, the campaign saw a +26% awareness uplift and 3-year consideration targets were met after just 6 months. It has since become Tourism New Zealand’s most successful ever campaign and won the world’s highest Effie for tourism.

Fourteen years ago we faced a challenge. The Australian public had long believed that the four biggest banks worked together, eliminating competition. This perception was so strong that no one noticed one of them, National Australia Bank (NAB), had spent two years becoming fairer and more competitive.

Instead of fighting this perception of ‘togetherness’, we embraced it, letting Australia witness NAB breaking up with the other banks. Naturally, this happened on Valentine’s Day.  A day universally understood to be all about relationships. The break-up exploded simultaneously across different media, surprising the nation and completely transformed the perception of NAB.

The NAB Break Up went on to win a Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions. It was the first Grand Prix awarded to a bank since 1973. The campaign also picked up Grands Prix and Best of Show awards at many other local and international shows.

The Australian Open is one of the biggest broadcast opportunities of the year. Every summer, viewership grows and grows. From a media perspective, it is Australia’s version of the Super Bowl. But with that comes a flood of sponsors, all competing to grab hold of the moment. The audience becomes numb to the repetition of logos and messaging, tuning out until the tennis comes back on.

We knew if Uber Eats wanted to stand out, we could not shout louder than the other sponsors. We had to be smarter. So we did the opposite. We blended in.

The idea was simple. Make people believe they were returning to the live tennis broadcast, only to have it seamlessly transform into an Uber Eats order delivered by players, umpires, line judges and even camera operators right when the audience least expected it. This was not about looking similar to the tennis. It was about being identical. Every detail, from the camera work, commentary pauses, sounds, graphics and even the clutter of sponsor logos was crafted to be indistinguishable from the real broadcast.

The Uber Eats Australian Open Ambush became one of the most awarded Australian campaigns of 2019, winning a Graphite Pencil at D&AD, along with two Silver Lions and four Bronze Lions at Cannes.

At the start the client was not sure what story to tell. When we asked what challenges Four’N Twenty was facing they spoke about the rise of healthy menus and lunch options that were better for you. They accepted they would always just be a pie, delicious but not exactly healthy. They definitely did not think it was a problem we could fix. We thought differently.

Introducing the Four’N Twenty MAGIC SALAD PLATE™. Simply place your delicious Four’N Twenty pie in the area provided on the plate and suddenly with no effort at all it looks like you are having a healthy well balanced lunch.

The Magic Salad Plate won 2 Gold and 1 Bronze Cannes Lion. It also won at D&AD, One Show, New York Festivals, LIA, Clios and AWARD.

After five years of ‘Tonight I’ll Be Eating’, Uber Eats’ most successful campaign, exported to almost 10 countries, we faced the challenge of what came next. Replacing a campaign that had been so successful brought a lot of pressure. But with the business evolving, we had no choice but to find a new brand direction that could take Uber Eats into its next chapter.

The new brand line, ‘Get Almost Almost Anything’, captured Uber Eats’ ambition to one day deliver everything. But simply saying it wasn’t enough. We had to prove it in a way that people would notice. So we decided to explore the edges of that promise. We showed that while Uber Eats delivers a vast selection of items, there are still a few things you would not want delivered. And it turns out, showing what we do not deliver is a pretty entertaining way of showcasing what we do.

We have now exported this campaign to 12 countries including the USA, Canada, Spain and Taiwan.

On September 15, 2023, during The Sunday Project, we created an unignorable moment in Australian advertising. Together with 10 of Australia’s most well-known brands, we launched the “Unignorable Adbreak”, a collective statement in support of disability representation. We worked with each brand to swap key scenes in their existing ads to feature talent with disability, marking the public launch of the Shift 20 Initiative, an idea we conceived with the Dylan Alcott Foundation a few years prior to the launch.

The altered ads from ANZ, AAMI, Bonds, Kia, McDonald’s, Oral-B, nib, Pantene, Uber and Weet-Bix aired in the lead up to that Sunday and culminated in a full media roadblock during The Sunday Project. This was designed to make Australia confront the lack of disability representation in advertising and to introduce a long-term initiative to fix it. Since launch, Tourism Australia, Virgin Australia and TikTok have also joined as foundation partners.

Shift 20 is a coalition of leading brands, led by the Dylan Alcott Foundation, committed to increasing disability representation, inclusion and accessibility across Australian advertising and media. Australians with disability make up almost 20 percent of the population, yet appear in only 1 percent of advertising. We set out to change that.

We partnered with Revolver and The Glue Society to lead the production of the campaign. From the very beginning, we collaborated to create a simple and effective production approach that allowed each brand’s inclusion of talent with disability to feel natural while ensuring the broader initiative would spark conversation. Revolver led the majority of the re-shoots, ensuring talent and crew with disability were represented on and off screen. We also worked closely with disability consultants and inclusive production partners like Bus Stop Films, covering everything from casting advice and disability riders to crew attachments and Auslan translators.

We are proud to stand alongside our coalition of launch partners, who are committed to leading the way in fair representation. Each brand is contributing in their own unique way through product design, influencer partnerships, accessibility innovations, community programs and employment opportunities. This is just the beginning.

We also created a dedicated website where brands can access best practice resources to help them create more accessible and inclusive communications. Brands can sign up and learn more about the Shift 20 Initiative at shift20.org and be part of the change.

Now, the Shift 20 Initiative is expanding its impact with the launch of Shift 20 Casting Call on TikTok, created in partnership with founding partner TikTok and inclusive talent agency Zebedee. The dedicated channel, @shift20castingcall, is a world-first platform designed to make it easier for brands, agencies and casting directors to discover and engage talent with disability. Alongside showcasing emerging talent, it offers practical tools and resources including audition tips, access rider guidance and advice on navigating production sets. It is another step toward shifting the industry from intent to action.

When we realised Uber Eats now delivers stuff you definitely can’t and shouldn’t ‘Eats’, we knew we had a hilarious premise for a film.

So we asked a simple question: “Can you eats it?”

In the most watched media space in the world, the 2022 Super Bowl, we launched a comedic campaign showing celebrities trying to eat things they definitely shouldn’t. Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow took a bite of her own “This Smells Like My Vagina” candle. Jennifer Coolidge chewed on lipstick. Trevor Noah sampled dish soap. And Nicholas Braun from Succession had a go at aluminium foil.

Each item was something Uber Eats now delivers, as the platform expands beyond restaurants to include grocery, alcohol and convenience items. Products like nappies, washing liquid and celeb-endorsed candles became the perfect way to remind people that Uber Eats is delivering more than just food.

The campaign went on to win three Silver Pencils at The One Show and a Silver Lion at Cannes.

To urge politicians and voters to let the new Voluntary Assisted Dying law pass through Victorian parliament, we worked with Andrew Denton, Go Gentle Australia, Revolver/Will O’Rourke’s acclaimed director Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Assassin’s Creed), and History Will Be Kind to create a shocking film project called ‘Stop The Horror’.

The project was launched initially as a new horror film by Kurzel. ‘Stop The Horror’ allowed people to witness the true story of the grim last days of terminally ill patient, Greg Sims. His story is told with brutal, gut-wrenching honesty. The intense moments of pain, the emotional turmoil, the despair and, at times, the endless waiting, are all laid bare.

As viewers saw the terrible events unfold, they are offered the opportunity to ‘stop the horror’ at anytime, thanks to a bespoke digital video player. When a user presses the ‘stop the horror’ button, they leave the film and are instantly taken to a page that asks them to really stop the horror, by supporting the new Voluntary Assisted Dying law in Victorian.

Stop The Horror played an important role in getting the law passed in Victoria. The first time in Australian history.

It has also been recognised at D&AD by winning 2 yellow pencils and 2 wooden pencils. 3 Gold Lions and a Silver Lion at Cannes. 2 Grand Prix (Film Craft and the Grand Prix for Good), 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze at Spikes Asia and Best of Show at AWARD.

Without doubt, Sharon Strzelecki and Kim Craig are Australia’s most iconic bogan best-friend duo. So, when Special Group swapped out the world’s most bogan Kim with the world’s most glamorous Kim - Kim Kardashian into the friendship, the whole of Australia stopped and took notice. This was more than advertising; this was a comedic cultural clash of epic proportions. Within 24 hours the campaign was played in full on every single TV station and discussed in detail on every Morning Show. Additionally, networks arranged to feature the actress portraying Sharon (Magda Szubanski) to even give full-segment interviews where Uber Eats received even more airtime and discussion. The campaign made national headlines, trended nationally in social and was re-enacted hundreds of times on Tik Tok. It even inspired drag shows and Halloween costumes.

This is only 1 of campaign that ran in Australia for around 5 years and was exported to 10 countries including the US, Canada and Japan. We oversaw the work in all markets.

The original brief was for a film. More specifically, a TV ad that would get distressed media placement. But after speaking with the client and the team at Guide Dogs, it became clear that just making an ad wouldn’t be enough. They had a much bigger challenge. Their fundraising base was ageing, and they urgently needed a new revenue stream that resonated with a younger audience. That’s how we helped reframe the brief—from creating an ad to creating a new product that could drive both awareness and sustainable fundraising.

When it came to developing an innovative way to generate support for the blind and vision impaired, we considered it vital that the solution didn’t inadvertently exclude them. Anything that appealed to people’s sight, like a ribbon or a wristband, would only add to the problem. So instead, we decided to create something that appealed to another sense entirely—smell.

To bring the product to life, we partnered with Kit Cosmetics—at the time, the youth arm of Mecca. Kit wasn’t just a cult favourite among younger consumers, they also had serious distribution muscle. Their products were stocked in major department stores nationwide, and they had their own standalone retail stores. This partnership ensured our idea wouldn’t just live as a niche fundraising gimmick, but as a credible, desirable product that could sit proudly on retail shelves and reach the exact audience Guide Dogs needed to engage. To give the product an iconic look and feel, we collaborated with renowned Melbourne designer Beci Orpin, whose playful and instantly recognisable aesthetic made the packaging as thoughtful as the fragrance itself.

Support Scent went on to win 1 Gold, 2 Silver and was shortlisted for the 'Grand Prix for Good' at the Cannes Lions. It also won at D&AD, One Show, The Spikes, LIA, New York Festivals, Clios and AWARD. As a result it given the 'All Gunns Blazing Award' in the Gunn Report.

Science has shown that getting outdoors is both mentally and physically good for us.

When we go outside, our stress goes down, our happiness goes up and we actually become more creative.

That explains why we tend to get a bit more ‘out there’ when we’re out there.

It also explains why the iconic antipodean outdoor company Kathmandu let us relaunch their brand with a campaign full of flying dolphins instead of alpha-outdoorsmen with stubbly faces climbing cliff faces.

Every aspect of the brand experience was transformed by mass comms all the way down to the in-store price tag, creating a hugely successful brand revival.

This brand platform ran for 5 years and we created amazing campaigns across Special Australia and New Zealand.

To relaunch the iconic adidas Superstar shoe and reestablish its cultural relevance, we dared to question what it means to be a superstar in today’s world.

Launched in 1969, the Superstar lives at the heart of the adidas Originals brand and was once renowned for its place in rebellious street culture. In 2015, the shoe needed to reassert its dominance with a fresh voice and a new conversation to form a connection with a new generation.

Launching with a 90 second film featuring globally recognized superstars David Beckham, Pharrell Williams, Rita Ora and Damian Lillard, the provocation was uniquely activated and adopted by 50+ markets across the globe, including takeovers in Times Square and pop-up shops in NYC, to the subways of Seoul, to paintings in Berlin and mobile applications in the UK.

The campaign won 2 Bronze Lions at Cannes and logo won a pencil at D&AD.

The Melbourne Remote Control Tourist bought the sights, sounds, streets, people and unique experiences of Melbourne to a global audience in real time via social media. Facebook and Twitter users could log on to the Remote Control Tourist website and control what a team of urban explorers with helmet-mounted streaming video cameras were doing. They could check out their Instagram feeds, track their location using Google Maps or FourSquare and get them to delve into any fascinating nook or cranny.

Overall, 150 million people from 158 countries visited Melbourne in 5 days.

The Remote Control Tourist won 5 Bronze at the Cannes Lions. It also won at One Show, The Webby Awards, New York Festivals, Best of Show at AWARD and helped Clemenger BBDO win Digital Agency of the Year at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards.

Our proudest moment was when it won the SWSX’s award for Technical Achievement in 2014. This is awarded to projects that ‘push the boundaries of what’s possible in digital content and inspire the next wave of creativity’.

Dogs get stressed when left at home alone. Which is why many owners leave the radio on to keep them company. Pedigree thought it was time dogs had a radio station just for them, so we launched K9FM. A radio station specifically designed to keep dogs relaxed when their owners aren’t home. Research told us that classical music calms dogs down, ambient sounds keep them stimulated and what dogs love to hear most, is their owner’s voice. So we brought all this together to create hours of original, dog friendly content that broadcast all day, every day on 87.7 K9FM.

K9FM was a collaboration between Clemenger BBDO Melbourne and Colenso BBDO. It won 3 Silver and 2 Bronze at the Cannes Lions, a Gold Pencil at One Show and 2 Yellow Pencils and a prestigious Black Pencil at D&AD.

A beautifully simple outdoor campaign to announce that Chupa Chups use real fruit. It went on to win a Gold Lion at Cannes.

To sell tickets to The Ashes and provoke the Poms, we erected a statue of Shane Warne in Piccadilly Circus and dragged it across London. Not only was it unpopular with the British public, but the police also hated us and we nearly got arrested multiple times, especially when we tried to place it near Buckingham Palace and Lord’s Cricket Ground. The stunt was a PR hit in both Australia and the UK and went on to win a Gold Lion at Cannes.

This campaign was done in 2006, so please do not judge us on the quality of the case study film or board. At the time, these were new requirements from award shows and we were still figuring out how to make them.