Hello Social, Essence MediaCom, Herd MSL.
Australians’ wardrobes got a little lighter last weekend with more than 100,000kgs of preloved clothing making its way to new homes following the success of Uber and Red Cross’ latest Clothing Drive.
The initiative, which took place on Saturday 21st October, was designed to encourage Australians to donate their unused clothing from their doorstep with a free Uber Package trip, enabling Australian Red Cross to raise funds for vulnerable communities.
The donations delivered double the initial target, and provided enough to fully stock four Australian Red Cross Shops for an entire year. It marks the most successful donation drive in the last five collaborations between Uber and Australian Red Cross, with an extraordinary 10,000 Uber Package trips facilitating the collection and delivery of preloved garments to Australian Red Cross sorting centres nationally.
The collection drive was made possible thanks to 400 Uber and Australian Red Cross volunteers, and 3,000 Uber driver partners.
Fronted by Australia’s most famous soccer star, Sam Kerr, the campaign’s record haul was attributed to a multifaceted marketing strategy that combined with a comprehensive earned PR campaign.
The Matildas Captain featured in a suite of phased creator style assets for the campaign, using native TikTok transitions to elevate her personality.
Passionate about supporting “a good Aussie cause”, Kerr said she got involved in the campaign to ‘get behind Australia’, just as the nation got behind her team earlier this year: “It’s such a smart initiative. I’m always donating clothes to keep my wardrobe light.
The hardest part is always getting round to dropping them at an Op Shop, so having Uber making it easier than ever to donate, for free and to a good cause, is just amazing,” she said.
The earned campaign was supported by a ‘Cost of Giving’ research report, revealing almost half (48%) of Australians expressed a desire to donate more to charity but cited financial constraints this year as a significant hurdle.
This was visually brought to life via an activation on Bondi Beach, using artificial intelligence to symbolise the 109 million pieces of unused clothing sitting in Aussies’ wardrobes that could instead be donated to charities like Australian Red Cross.
The demonstration generated widespread intrigue, with millions of organic views across Instagram and TikTok.
David Griffiths, head of marketing at Uber ANZ, said as the fifth year running the Clothing Drive, there is a lot of pride building within the company to make this an annual moment in Australian’s calendars.
"We knew that to rally Australians to get behind this worthy cause again, we needed to go bigger and bolder than ever before," Griffiths said.
"There’s really no one that could help us do that better than national treasure Sam Kerr, supported by a smart strategy featuring AI, influencer amplification, and consumer research, to deliver a truly innovative and impactful campaign that produced three times as many trips as last year.
"It’s been so rewarding to see the overwhelming response and generosity from Australians for this Donation Drive, and we can’t wait to see the impact that this has on the vital humanitarian programs Australian Red Cross delivers.”
Caroline Elton, chief marketing officer at Australia Red Cross, said the success of this Clothing Drive goes beyond the numbers; it signifies a collective commitment to supporting communities in need.
"We are grateful for the multi-year partnership with Uber that has allowed us to reach new heights and make a significant difference," Elton said.
"The Australian community is a generous one, and despite cost of living placing constraints on some people's ability to financially donate, they’ve dug deep and their pre-loved clothes will now contribute to successfully helping those in need.”
As the campaign concludes, the focus turns to the tangible impact these donations will have on Australian communities.
The clothing collected will contribute to essential funds for Australian Red Cross initiatives, emphasising that impactful change can arise from using technology for good, along with innovative marketing, strategic collaborations, and a shared commitment to making a difference.
Credits
Uber
David Griffiths, Head of Marketing, ANZ
Anna Viney, Brand Marketing
Peta Fitzgerald, Communications Director, ANZ
Claire McAdam, Mobility Communications Lead, ANZ
Chanelle Murray, Social Media Lead, ANZ
Vince Lam, Social Media Associate, ANZ
Australian Red Cross
Caroline Elton, Head of Marketing
Kira Reed, Head of Corporate Communications
Rachel Tharrat, Senior Media Adviser
Lucy Bayne, Senior Marketing Manager
Catherine Frohlich, Marketing Manager
Hello Social - Talent Creative & Influencer Content Partner
MD: Sam Kelly
Creatives: Aaron Tyler & Chris Burke
Director of Client Experience: Maddie Marovino
Group Account Director: Ed Popa
Senior Account Manager: Jordan Sisson
Strategy Director: Matt Pearce
Executive Producer: Thea Carone
Producer: Kat Camrass
Head of Talent: Melissa Woodward
Head of Design: Seamus McShane
Deputy Head of Design: Kevin Barker
Art Director: Sam
Brand Designer: Cody Waters
Herd MSL, Publicis Groupe - Earned Media
Peter Galmes, Chief Creative Strategist
Yasmin Armes, Group Account Director
Janete Sampaio, Senior Account Director
Kallie Hunter, Account Director
Rachel Ecclestone, Senior Account Manager
Mirna Elsabie, Account Manager
Annie Greiner, Account Coordinator
Prodigious - AI Creative Production
Sam Bruce, Videographer/Editor
Dylan Neill, Animation Director
Matt Brunner, VFX Director
Sarah Cloutie, Head of Production
Essence MediaCom - Paid Media
Nathaniel Thompson
Patrick Fakiye
Matt Leahy
Marine Turner
Cordelia Ong
We Know Video - Video Production UK
Director: Charles Copsey UK
Cinematographer: Luke Dryden
Managing Director: Jack Shanahan
Editor: André Rodrigues
