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Sean “Diddy” Combs does spirits. His Cîroc vodka and DeLeón tequila prove this. Diddy does fatherhood, as his newborn daughter, Love, and his six other kids. Diddy does a lot of things, but one thing he doesn’t do is make music for commercials. At least, that’s his position at the start of Uber One’s ad for Super Bowl LVII. “You want me to do a jingle?” asks Diddy in the full commercial, released on Feb. 7. The execs reassures him that they want “one hit for Uber One,” to which Diddy says, “that sounds like a jingle to me.”
“Diddy don’t do jingles,” says his right-hand man (who, oddly enough, stands to Diddy’s left.) However, the execs say they want a “hit song,” which gets Diddy’s wheels turning. Cut to Montell Jordan, repurposing his 1995 single, “This Is How We Do It,” into a Uber One-themed track. “What else we got?” asks Diddy. Donna Lewis comes in to transform 1996’s “I Love You Always Forever” into a song about saving when you sign up for the Uber One membership.
“Okay, Donna!” says Diddy with a smile on his face. Kelis comes in and says that when your milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, it will save you more. Ylvis, the group behind 2013’s “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say),” tries their hand at it, but Diddy isn’t feeling it. “Don’t do that.” When the Norwegian duo argues back, Diddy’s lieutenant shouts, “DIDDY SAYS NEXT” in Norwegian. That prompts Haddaway, the golden voice behind the Eurodance hit, “What Is Love?” to come in and save the day. Diddy then presents the song to the execs, with his rep saying, “Diddy is excited.”
It’s hard to figure out which will be the bigger earworm from this commercial: the Haddaway-themed hit (“UBER ONE! UBER ONE SAVES ME! SAVES ME! WAY MORE!” or the line “Diddy Don’t Do Jingles.” However, it’s not hard to see why fans should be excited about this. Uber One will offer a promo from February 7-19 where you can also get three months free of Uber One ($9.99 per month), which provides savings across the platform as well as access to exclusive perks and special benefits. This includes Unlimited $0 Delivery Fees, up to 10% off Eligible Uber Eats orders, 5% off eligible Uber rides, access to top-rated drivers, and a $5 credit if Uber’s Latest Arrival estimate on your order is off.
Fans got the first taste that something big was coming with the commercial’s teaser. “So, we’re thinking a song could really put Uber One on the map,” says one executive during their meeting with Diddy at the headquarters of Combs Global. After a beat of silence, Combs’ rep delivers his response for him: “Diddy don’t do jingles.”
“Of course, not – it’s not a jingle,” says the first exec, while a second says they’re willing to pay Combs for “one song for Uber One,” the Uber membership that offers upgrades such as top-rated drivers on rides, premium support, $0 Delivery Fees on eligible orders, and member-only offers, promotions and perks. Combs isn’t swayed by the execs, with his rep repeating that “Diddy don’t do jingles.” The execs try to salvage the meeting, saying they’re looking “for a hit” to spread the word about the membership. This piques Combs’ curiosity.
“Diddy does do hits,” says his rep as Combs flashes a wide grin. “Diddy is excited,” says the stone-faced rep, while Combs is already on his phone, making moves. “Meet me at the studio,” he says. The teaser ends with a promise that Super Bowl viewers will watch Diddy “NOT do a jingle” on Feb. 12.
The commercial, directed by Andreas Nilsson and developed by the Special Group, will likely be the biggest lasting impression of the 2023 Super Bowl commercial bonanza, with its simple but memorable “Diddy Don’t Do” refrain. It invokes memories of Nike’s Bo Jackson “Bo Knows” campaign in its effortless simplicity that’s quite infectious.
Which, as it turns out, is by design. “For this year’s Super Bowl ad, we set out to help everyone get Uber One stuck in their heads—and what better way to do that than with a hit song?” Danielle Hawley, Uber’s global executive creative director, said in a statement, per AdAge. “We paired some of the biggest hitmakers of all time with one of the most esteemed producers in the game to help Uber One catch on.”
Hawley’s use of “hitmakers” suggested that some other big names would join Diddy for the spot. This would follow Uber’s 2022 entry in the Super Bowl commercial game, a “Uber Don’t Eats” commercial featuring Jennifer Coolidge, Trevor Noah, and Gwyneth Paltrow. The campaign spotlighted how Uber Eats now delivers non-edible items so that you don’t end up munching on Gwyneth’s “My Vagina” candle like she did in last year’s spot.
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