Uber Eats and the Marketing Power of 'Phew'

What happens when one of Australia's most recognised brands stops talking about what it delivers and starts focusing on how it makes people feel? In this episode of The CMO Show, Mark Jones sits down with Nicole Bardsley, Head of Marketing ANZ for Uber and Uber Eats, to explore the thinking behind Uber Eats' new brand platform, "Phew". As Uber Eats marks a decade in Australia, Nicole shares why the business made the bold decision to evolve from communicating products and categories to owning a simple but powerful emotional benefit: relief. From in-depth consumer research to uncovering hidden barriers around guilt, pressure and convenience, she reveals how one word became the foundation of a major brand transformation. Nicole explains why great marketing begins with understanding the customer problem, not the creative execution. She discusses the importance of finding distinctive human insights, balancing brand and performance objectives, and proving marketing's commercial impact. The conversation explores how Uber measures both long-term brand building and short-term business results, challenging the idea that marketers must choose between creativity and performance. The discussion also dives into Uber Eats' famous use of celebrity, humour and cultural storytelling. Nicole shares why the brand follows an "idea first, celebrity second" approach, how campaigns such as Before Uber Eats use nostalgia to create relevance, and why local creative execution has helped Australian-born campaigns scale globally. Along the way, she offers practical lessons on behaviour change, brand distinctiveness, measurement, and how marketers can earn the confidence to take bigger creative risks. For marketing leaders seeking to build brands that create both emotional connection and commercial growth, this episode offers a masterclass in insight-led creativity, behaviour change and the power of solving real human problems. This episode is brought to you by impact advisory, communications and events agency, ImpactInstitute in partnership with Adobe. www.impactinstitute.com.au | https://business.adobe.com/au