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Insight
Drunk driving incidents spike by 350% at night. People know they shouldn't drive — but in the hazy math of last call, "I'm probably fine" wins more often than it should. The gap isn't awareness. It's the moment between knowing you're drunk and actually doing something about it.
Problem
Uber was generating more negative press than almost any company on the planet. Regulatory battles, driver controversies, trust issues — the brand needed a way to reframe the conversation. Not through a PR statement, but by demonstrating real value in a way people could feel. The brief was simple and ambitious: how do we get Uber to save lives? And do it on virtually no budget.
Solution
We designed and custom-built wireless breathalyzer kiosks — embedded with an MQ3 gas-alcohol sensor and an Android tablet wired directly to Uber's API. We planted them on the street outside bars in Toronto on St. Patrick's Day, one of the biggest drinking nights of the year. You grab a disposable straw, blow for six seconds, and the kiosk calculates your blood alcohol content. Over the legal limit? The app automatically hails a free Uber to your exact location within minutes. No fumbling with your phone. No decision fatigue. Just: you're too drunk, your ride is coming.
Reaction
The idea took off far beyond a one-night stunt. Major media outlets worldwide covered it, generating over 55 million free impressions and creating an outpouring of positive sentiment for a brand that desperately needed it. Uber adopted the kiosks globally — they were replicated and installed in Montreal, Denver, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, and cities across Brazil and Portugal, deployed on peak drinking occasions when the risk of impaired driving is highest. It became Uber's biggest marketing activation, and the most positive brand story the company had told to date.
Behind the Scenes
The whole thing started with writer Francesco Grandi coming up with the breathalyzer concept just in time for St. Patrick's Day. We worked with Christoph Paus on fabrication and Brent Marshall on the tech — building a custom wireless unit that could live on a sidewalk, connect to Uber's platform in real time, and survive a night of use by very drunk people. Uber's internal teams saw the results and started requesting kiosks for markets around the world. What started as a scrappy, nearly zero-budget idea became a global platform.
Awards: Cannes Lion, The One Show Silver Pencil (Use of Technology), Communication Arts Interactive Award, Shorty Award, Shopper Innovation Award