Uber has brought back its annual Red Cross Clothing Drive, and this year’s edition has a very specific pop-culture hook: Melanie C is opening her personal fashion archive. The campaign, created by Poem and directed by MarySue Masson, launched ahead of the one-day collection on Saturday 17 October 2026.
The campaign
The brand partnership is Uber with Australian Red Cross and New Zealand Red Cross. Poem led strategy, creative, earned publicity and influencer work. EssenceMediaCom supported with paid media, History Will Be Kind handled corporate earned publicity in Australia, and Acumen managed earned publicity in New Zealand. The drive is in its eighth year in Australia and fourth year in New Zealand.
What the film says and how
The film’s message is that donating quality clothing can feel rewarding rather than like a chore. Melanie C chooses five memorable pieces from her archive to donate: three tracksuits, a sequin suit and a little black Gucci dress. The campaign frames that as permission for viewers to pass on their own good pieces, even items tied to identity or milestones.
Strategy director Chelsea Wright from Poem says the choice of Melanie C is deliberate: “Melanie C’s tracksuits are some of the most recognisable looks in pop culture, so seeing her hand them over gives people permission to go through their own wardrobes and part with the good stuff.” The call to action is equally low-friction: a free courier pickup from the front door.
The response so far
Uber ANZ head of marketing Nicole Bardsley calls the drive “one of my favourite campaigns of the year” and says having a global icon lead the charge “brings incredible spice and scale to our core mission.” Campaign lead Olivia Sykes adds that Melanie C’s generosity “brings genuine authenticity to this narrative.”
Australian Red Cross marketing director Kira Reed says the partnership has transformed how Australians give back, and that quality donations reduce sorting time for volunteers while raising funds for humanitarian programs. New Zealand Red Cross communications director Rowan Worner says the organisation is excited for people to discover Melanie C’s pieces in local Red Cross Shops.
The source describes the work as an integrated earned campaign spanning strategy, creative, celebrity procurement, content production, influencer collaborations and publicity.
The category context
Purpose-led logistics campaigns are now a familiar seasonal play for platforms like Uber. Last year’s drive collected almost 125,000kg of quality clothing in Australia and 64,000kg in New Zealand. This year, the campaign is betting that a globally recognised wardrobe can push those numbers higher.
On 17 October, from 10am to 4pm local time, residents can book a free courier pickup through the Uber or Uber Eats app in:
- Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra
- New Zealand: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
- Donations must be quality, pre-loved and clean, with a maximum of 20kg per package
What to watch next
The short-term test is whether Melanie C’s archive pieces become a discovery event in Red Cross Shops and generate earned coverage in Australia and New Zealand. The longer-term proof will be the collection total after 17 October, and whether it beats the 125,000kg benchmark from last year’s Australian leg.
Watch the original: Uber on YouTube
Source: Campaign Brief
