Shania Twain and Tom Cardy front Uber campaign, via Special

October 27, 2025 10:53

Being an Uber passenger lets you catch up on sleep

Pop-country queen Shania Twain and comedian-musician Tom Cardy feature in a new Uber campaign highlighting the advantages of being a passenger.

Developed with creative agency Special, the ride-sharing company’s “Can’t Do That If You’re Driving” platform rests on a 60-second hero film that places Cardy and Twain inside an Uber. Both talents sing of the advantages of being a passenger, from having time to do makeup to catching up on sleep.

Apart from the main film, the campaign includes 15-second spots highlighting those moments.

“’Can’t do that if you’re driving’ celebrates all the joyful, playful moments that happen in the backseat,” Uber Australia and New Zealand’s head of marketing, Nicole Bardsley, said in a media release.

“We are thrilled to unlock the potential of this new campaign platform and can’t wait to continue to build on it.”

In an email sent to Mumbrella, Special’s creative team and group creative directors, Nils Eberhardt and Simon Gibson, revealed that the campaign’s song lyrics were penned by the agency and Cardy. The latter also looked after the track’s composition, and shaped it with Twain’s input.

“We wanted to find a pairing that felt surprising at first, but then felt very right,” Gibson and Eberhardt wrote.

“Culturally, the lines between pop and country have been blurring over the last few years. Tom and Shania have different fan bases but surprising similarities — they are both hugely talented singer-songwriters who don’t take themselves too seriously.

“And when you blend that together it makes for a surprising collaboration that gets a ton of attention but also an ear worm with really broad appeal.”

When asked about the new work, Uber Australia’s Dan Greenberg described it as “cheeky”, “playful” and, overall, “unique”.

“Pairing an international icon with a local Aussie comedian to create a backseat banger Aussies love has helped us develop something truly unique,” Greenberg said in the same release.

“Our campaign is playful, a little cheeky, and impossible not to sing along to. It’s a track that feels right at home in an Uber ride to the footy, night out, or just heading down to the pub.”

“Can’t Do That If You’re Driving” is playing across in-app gaming channels, social, out-of-home, digital and film.

Cardy and Twain are not the only famous faces to grace Uber’s campaigns.

Pop icon Cher; Seinfeld star Jason Alexander; Happy Gilmore’s Chris McDonald; tennis champion Andy Murray; and The Castle’s Anthony Simcoe, Stephen Curry and Michael Caton have all appeared in platforms for the ride-sharing giant.

CREDITS

Uber

Senior Director, Head of International Marketing, APAC, EMEA, LATAM: Lucinda Barlow

Director, Head of Marketing, APAC: Andy Morley

Head of Marketing, ANZ: Nicole Bardsley

Senior Marketing Manager: Dan Greenberg

Global Head of Creative & Brand: Danielle Hawley

Global Creative Director, APAC: Adam Ledbury

Director of Communications, ANZ: Peta Fitzgerald

Mobility Communications, ANZ: Bonnie Ko

Media Lead, ANZ & Taiwan: Rob Maddison

Head of International Marketing Strategy: Josh Pickstone

Legal Counsel: Yvonne Young

Social Media Lead, APAC: Chanelle Murray

Social Media Manager, ANZ: Haley Evirgen

Special

Partners/CEO: Lindsey Evans & Cade Heyde

Partners/CCO: Julian Schreiber & Tom Martin

Regional Group Creative Directors: Peter Defries & Alan Wilson

Creative Team/Group Creative Directors: Simon Gibson & Nils Eberhardt

Creative Director: Noah Regan

Social Creatives: Eliza Smith & Harry Roth

Managing Director: Lauren Portelli

Team Lead: Laura Little

Senior Business Director: William Payne

Business Director: Fabrizia Violante

Business Manager: Wendy Hoang

CEO, Partner Special US: Kelsey Hodgkin

Strategy Partner: Dave Hartmann

Regional Executive Strategy Director: Celia Garforth

Group Strategy Director: Heather Sheen

Strategy Director: Phoebe Fielding

National Head of Production: Tash Johnson

Head of Still Production: Nick Lilley

Senior Producer: Jo Howlett

Digital Director: Sharon Gray

Senior Integrated Producers: Di Williams, Alyce Guy, Danielle Senecky

Designers: Liam Kenny, Sabine Schwarz

Digital Editor: Nguyen Tran

Finished Artist: Jen Bailey, John Rivera

Occasions layer

Production Company: Finch

Director: Christopher Riggert

MD/Executive Producer: Corey Esse

Producer: Jackie Adler

DOP: Sam Chiplin

Casting: Felicity Byrne

Picture-post company: Arc Edit

Executive Producer: Winnie O’Niel

Producer: Amelia Walton & Sally Quade

Editor: Lucas Baynes

Colourist: Fergus Rotherham

Online Production Company: Darling TV Canada

Sound Design Studio: Rumble Studios

Producer: Michael Gie

Audio Engineer: Tone Aston & Jo Mount

Still Production Company: Chee Production

Still Executive Producer: Tamiko Wafer

Photographer: Pip Cowley

Retoucher: Visual Thing

Social Production Company: Special Made Production

Social D.O.P: Brendan Barnes

Social Editor: Robin Sung

Shania/Tom layer

Production Company: Finch

Director: Christopher Riggert

MD/Executive Producer: Corey Esse

Producer: Jackie Adler

DOP: Sam Chiplin

Production Manager/Social Producer : Darcey Taylor Morrison

DA/Director of Socials: Jed Simkins

Facilitation Company Canada: OPC

Picture-post company: ARC

Executive Producer: Winnie O’Niel

Producer: Sally Quade

Editor: Drew Thompson

Colourist: Fergus Rotherham

VFX Supervisor: Andy McKenna

Songwriter/Music Composer: Tom Cardy

Sound Design Studio: Rumble Studios

Producer: Michael Gie

Audio Engineer: Tone Aston

BTS Press: Dom Van Olm

Publicity: History Will Be Kind

Media agency: EssenceMediacom

Creator agency: Hello

Retail: H/Commerce

Talent agency: Mayflower