Uber Taxi highlights traditional street hailing chaos with Nick Cheung

Uber Taxi has highlighted the chaos of traditional street hailing with a new campaign featuring local actor Nick Cheung, who is famous for his action and martial arts roles. 

Available until the end of October, this new chapter continues to play on the double meaning of the Cantonese word “kung fu” (功夫), which refers to both martial arts and effort, underscoring the struggle of hailing a taxi the old-fashioned way. The campaign targets street hailers in Hong Kong, with a media target audience of the general population aged 18 to 54.

While Cheung is an iconic and respected actor in Hong Kong, Uber believes that his involvement adds credibility to the brand. Furthermore, Cheung's background in serious, physical movie roles makes him the ideal candidate to embody the 'kung fu' of street-hailing, effectively highlighting its pain points.

As part of the campaign, a one-minute film is released, following Cheung as he navigates a street-hailing battlefield, engaging in over-the-top, kung fu-style clashes with other would-be passengers, all while performing a tongue-in-cheek rendition of the classic Cantonese kung fu hit "Who is a big hero" (誰是大英雄), with rewritten lyrics tailored to the taxi-fighting storyline. 

Just when it seems Cheung has emerged and proclaimed himself the taxi-hailing champion, a twist is revealed: an unassuming "aunty" has already booked her ride effortlessly via Uber Taxi, bypassing the entire ordeal and proving that the real hero is the one who orders the Uber Taxi.

Cheung's natural humour brings a lighthearted tone to the campaign, making it more approachable and fun. His surprise appearance in the ad, along with his playful side, generated significant cultural buzz.

Spanning TV, online, social, and out-of-home (OOH), the campaign is created in collaboration with creative agencies Special and Omelette, media agency EssenceMediacom, along with production partners including kung fu specialist director Adam Liu and stunt coordinator Jack Wong, to provide authentic martial arts action and elevate the quality from last year’s campaign. Additionally, Click Music, featuring lyricist Siu Hak and recording producer Punk Chan, adapted the iconic karaoke anthem "Who is a big hero" for the campaign.

The campaign was first hinted at through a teaser video on social media and amplified by social news pages and Choi San Keung 蔡辛強(Cheung on social), whose Threads post further ignited the city's chatter. This post garnered 390,000 views and 10,000 likes, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE confirmed. Fueled by local social pages and influencers, the buzz set the stage for a launch event, where Cheung addressed the speculation and revealed the full Uber Taxi campaign.

Lauren Portelli, Special regional managing director - Uber, said: “It’s always wonderful when we get to build off something that’s been a success. Reuniting our Australian brains with outstanding local collaborators for a second year of kung fu was a dream. And what better way than reimagining an iconic kung fu anthem to demonstrate how effortlessly Uber Taxi can skip the chaos.”

Sarah Parris and Giles Clayton, creative directors at Special, said: “This year, our ambition was to dial up the action even further and create a spot that genuinely looks and feels like a kung fu film. Cheung brought a whole new energy to the campaign — performing kung fu in over 30 degrees while belting out a classic song was impressive to watch. But it just goes to show, even the best kung fu master is no match for Uber Taxi when it comes to hailing a cab.”

Toga Leung, head of marketing, Uber Mobility Hong Kong, said: “This campaign is a celebration of what makes Hong Kong unique - its cinematic history, its energy, and its people. Uber Taxi is about making travel seamless in a city where getting from A to B isn’t always straightforward. Collaborating with Special and our local partners allowed us to build on the momentum from last year and bring even more entertainment and cultural resonance to this follow-up.”

Charmaine Wu, marketing lead, Uber Mobility Hong Kong, said: “Cheung’s performance blends high-energy action with the charm of singing an iconic karaoke anthem like ‘Who is a big hero’, adding both heart and humour to the story. It’s a joyful reminder that with Uber, you can skip the chaos and still be the hero.”

Don’t miss: Uber Taxi and Louis Koo highlight the ease of using Uber app

This comes following the launch of the "Skip the kung fu!" (大費功夫? Skip!) campaign featuring Hong Kong actor Louis Koo in September 2024, highlighting the ease of using the Uber app for daily commutes.  

The promotional video opened with Hongkongers twisting, bending, turning, and using different sorts of kung fu to try to hail a taxi on the street. In contrast to the chaos, Koo calmly opens his Uber app, orders an Uber Taxi at the easy tap of a button, and “skips” all the struggles of flagging down a taxi. 

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