2019 Cannes contenders: 'Australian Open ambush' by Special Group Sydney

We asked creative leaders from across the region choose the work they expect (or hope) to see winning at Cannes Lions this year. See all this year's Cannes contenders.

Contender: Australian Open Ambush
Agency: Special Group, Sydney
Client: Uber Eats 

Nominated by:

Simon Langley, CCO, Wunderman Thompson Australia:

I first saw this campaign watching the Australian Open. One minute I’m watching Rafa, the next I’m cursing Uber eats for such a perfectly executed campaign that kept f***ing catching me out! I wish I’d done it, and I hope it does very well at Cannes so the agency and client are rewarded for all the effort it would have taken to actually pull it off.

David Ponce de Leon, executive creative director, Ogilvy Australia:

I said this before and I say it again. This idea is the best idea out of Australia leading into Cannes Lions 2019. This is what all great advertising should be about, surprising, disrupting and entertaining. A big idea for a big brand that got talked about all around the world, Great stuff.

Duncan Shields, creative director, Redengine SCC:

This is traditional, disruption-style advertising and it follows that model very, very well. It’s the Uber-Eats takeover of the Australian Open from Special Group, Sydney, and I’d be mildly surprised if it doesn’t pick up some variety of metallic cat for fooling the tennis-watching public into listening to their message.