There’s No Escaping Painfully Awkward Situations Thanks to DoorDash

Sometimes a quick trip to the store can bring some much-needed relief from a socially-awkward or stressful situation, but delivery service DoorDash is taking away the temporary escape in a comedic campaign promoting its grocery delivery.

Developed with Hard Work Club, “We Get Groceries, So You Don’t Have To,” shows people desperately trying to exit uncomfortable situations by saying they’ll go to the grocery store, only to be thwarted by friends or family informing them that they can get groceries delivered with DoorDash.

The humour-led approach represents a thematic departure for DoorDash Canada, and the shift for this campaign was intentional.

“Radically candid moments where our protagonists are plotting an escape from life and yet met with the convenience of grocery delivery flexes our brand voice into humour, and we are here for it," says Heather Cameron, head of brand and creative for DoorDash Canada.

The campaign consists of a series of three stylishly crafted 15-second spots directed by Untitled Films’ Francois Lallier. Rather than fight the constraints of short-form storytelling, the team embraced the opportunity for buttoned-down scenarios and a simple script construct.

“Fifteen second spots are a different animal,” said Meghan Kraemer, co-founder and executive creative director, Hard Work Club. “It was critical for us to work with a director who deeply understood how tight the comedic beats needed to be, and thrived in the countless production design details to make them sing. Francois Lallier certainly delivered."

Each spot shows people coming up with an excuse to get away from a bad situation, only to have their plans undermined by DoorDash delivery.

In “Smashed Eggs,” a woman attempts to get away from a chaotic family morning by deliberately sweeping a carton of eggs to the floor and declaring that she needs to go to the store for eggs, only for her blissfully oblivious husband to whip out his phone and tell her that DoorDash can take care of their grocery needs.

In “Losing Team,” a man desperate to escape the misery created by a soccer team’s loss tucks a carton of milk inside his coat and announces that he’s going for milk, only for his distraught friend to inform him through tears that DoorDash can help.

And in “Baby Shower,” a woman who hides grapes as an excuse to get away from unadulterated pastel hell and the excessive “ooh-ing” and “aah-ing” over onesies and other baby gifts, is forced to endure the cuteness overload because of DoorDash.

They all end with a comedic hint of annoyance for the very brand the campaign promotes.

“For a brand to be willing to poke a little fun at itself is pretty rare, pretty special,” said Meghan. “The convenience of grocery delivery is so obvious, that it gave us licence to turn that positive functional benefit into an absolute negative for our anti-heroes who just want to leave these painfully awkward situations.”

The media buy by Wavemaker is targeting key DoorDash customer segments, including young families and sports fans, through a combination of TV and online video. The campaign is supported by contextual OOH across Canada, strategically placed in locations including university campuses and airports where aptly-placed, playful headlines read: ‘WELCOME HOME (your milk is expired.)’ Alongside paid social, digital display and targeted search, the brand is also leaning into organic social and influencer amplification led by ruckus Digital. All these initiatives emphasise the convenience of grocery delivery with DoorDash, while maintaining the campaign’s cheeky tone.