Serve Robotics apology ad (out of home)
OBJECTIVE: TURN A VIRAL MISHAP INTO A SELF-AWARE, POP-CULTURE FRIENDLY MOMENT
Serve Robotics makes sidewalk delivery robots — cute little guys who take on last-mile delivery for local restaurants and delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Doordash. They’re trained to navigate sidewalks and move seamlessly alongside pedestrian traffic, but as they continue to train in the field, sometimes a little slip-up happens.
A robot recently crashed into a bus shelter in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood, and it was caught on video, which naturally went viral.
THE SOLUTION
Acting quickly, the Serve team decided to take out an ad at that very bus shelter, to issue an apology from Nasir, the robot at fault in the incident.
The creative strategy was to make the headline and subhead feel like it’s from the robot’s voice, and the longer-form copy at the bottom more of a corporate statement that reiterates the importance of safety. We needed to strike a balance between witty self-awareness and genuine contrition, committed to safety and collaborating with the neighborhood.
THE RESULT
The stunt got a lot of local news coverage, including ABC7 Chicago, CBS Chicago, Fox32 Chicago, and NBC Chicago, and hopefully ingratiated Nasir and his family to residents skeptical of robots in their neighborhood.
Credits
Creative: Megan Natt & Ericka Ames
Client: Steve Webb, Lina Bertini
