How Johnsonville and Uber Got Grandmas in Little Car-Houses to Deliver Sausages in Chicago

If you saw three little houses screaming down the Dan Ryan expressway in Chicago on Sunday, being pulled by pickup trucks, with real Italian grandmas on board, ready to deliver sausages—well, that was a Johnsonville ad campaign.

The sausage maker teamed up with Uber for the "Sausage Nonnas" stunt, which featured the Italian grandmas—known as "nonnas"—delivering free homemade sausage meals to Chicagoans who requested delivery through the Uber app. Users could select a "Nonnas" option on the Uber home screen and track their delivery as the tiny house icon neared.

The stunt, orchestrated by Droga5, seems a little random, but the images of the nonnas in action are pretty amusing. They delivered sausage rigatoni, lasagna or Italian sausage and meatballs, by the way.

"Delivering homemade sausage meals throughout the city of Chicago is great in and of itself, but having authentic Italian nonnas cook and deliver those meals raises the bar to a whole new level," said Ryan Pociask, senior director of marketing at Johnsonville. "We are proud to have the opportunity to collaborate with Uber on this project and are looking forward to a fun-filled Sunday."

"Uber is always on the look-out for fun and unique partnerships that delight our users," added Amy Friedlander Hoffman, head of experiential marketing at Uber. "How better to bring joy to Chicago than delivering warm, personable Italian grandmas in tiny homes with free, homecooked meals on demand?"

Lots more pics and videos, as well as credits, below.