Did Uber Eats or DoorDash Win the Super Bowl?
EU's new gig work rules, CA considers fast food wage exemptions, consumers order in
We’re kicking the week off with a look at which ads dominated last night’s Super Bowl. And then if you don’t have a TBI, keep reading for two important legislative updates.
Today:
Ads, Ads and More Ads
EU Passes Gig Work Regs
Chart Time | Order In
CA Mulls Fast Food Wage Exemptions
ADS | Did Anyone Win the Super Bowl?
We’ve been talking about “the big game” a lot the past few weeks, and now that the advertisers have squared off, we can suss out a winner. Uber Eats went with a celeb-heavy spot called “Worth Remembering,” directed by Jake Szymanski and agency Special Group US, which also had a neat looking in-person element in Vegas. Meanwhile DoorDash drew up “DoorDash All the Ads,” helmed by Mike Diva and Wieden+Kennedy Portland (and yes, that does include an Uber Eats gift card.) So who won? AdWeek / Kantar put UE’s ad on top, as the fourth greatest overall, but the competition at AdAge give the edge to DD. Meanwhile, The Washington Post calls the Uber Eats ad the “biggest letdown,” and NYT says to “ try again,” but Billboard says it was one of the “10 best.” If you look on YouTube, the two ads have an almost identical number of impressions… maybe this game is also going into overtime?
The Big Picture: Perhaps the real winner was someone else; could it be Popeye’s and a defrosted Ken Jeong? The advertising trades seem to really like the celeb-heavy “Dunkings” spot. Lord know there were plenty of ads for deliverable items like soda, beer and chips. Maybe there was no winner, only a loser: electric vehicles, which sadly saw their ad count drop to two, down from six in 2022. Sometimes the future advances the ball a bit slower than we’d like.
POLICY | EU Forges New Gig Work Rules
EU lawmakers and member countries have struck a revised deal to regulate gig work, moments before the closing of the electoral calendar. Per the deal, EU member states must introduce laws that treat gig workers as employees under certain conditions. The law, however, does not define those conditions, leaving that up to each country to decide. This would be a change from the status quo, whereby workers often have to sue to challenge their job status, which has led to a plethora of lawsuits across EU countries.
The Big Picture: This version of the law is very watered down from the original idea pitched by Jobs Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, and a big win for the gig platforms. Originally the EU had hoped to implement uniform rules across the political bloc, widely reclassifying gig workers as employees. However a number of countries balked at such a wide-ranging proposal, and instead this compromise bill, helmed by Belgium, was patched together. Also included in the bill is the right for gig workers to see why they were dispatched to certain jobs.
CHART TIME | Consumers Look to Stay In
Good news for deliverers, GlobalData surveys see consumers opting to eat out less often over the next few months, with these “hermit consumers” instead opting for meal kits or delivery.
POLICY | CA Mulls New Exemptions to Fast Food Min Wage
California Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-San Gabriel Valley) just introduced AB 610, which would carve out eight new exemptions from the state’s recently passed $20 minimum wage for fast food workers. Per the legislative counsel: “This bill would exempt additional restaurants from the definition of ‘fast food restaurant,’ including such restaurants in airports, hotels, event centers, theme parks, museums, and certain other locations, as prescribed. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.”
The Big Picture: With the bill set to go into effect on April 1st, it’s understandable that its opponents are also looking to move quickly. Less understandable is exactly which restaurants would be exempt and why. Airports for example, are often unionized and already pay about the new wage, while an exemption for concessions on land owned by states, cities and other government agencies also looks to mostly antagonize unions. Then there’s a carve out for “a concession or food service contract covering the building, group of buildings, or campus,” which is worded so vaguely you can imagine all sorts of restaurants fighting for that exemption. Unlike the previously passed exemption for bakeries, we wouldn’t put our money on this hastily crafted bill moving ahead as drafted.
A Few Good Links
Just Eat Takeaway.com extends partnership with UEFA (European soccer.) Taco Bell names Jason Kidd as new COO (no, not the basketball star.) T-Bell also plans to accelerate tech deployment, teases marketing calendar. Chipotle aims for $4M AUV. AV trucker Torc Robotics ramps up testing. Misfits Market debuts third-party fulfillment services. Southeast Asian food delivery / TNC cos Grab and GoTo reportedly discussing merger; $20B tie-up would encounter many regulatory questions given their market dominance in Indonesia, Singapore.
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