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The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2024

DoorDash turned every other brand's Super Bowl ad into a prize it would deliver

Rather than cheerlead 'we deliver anything', DoorDash actually gave away every product advertised during the Super Bowl to one winner.

DoorDash

the move

DoorDash needed the public to see it as a delivery platform for anything, not just takeout. The obvious route is a Super Bowl ad that talks about delivering anything.

Instead it made the ad the proof: as each competing brand's ad aired, DoorDash added that exact product to a growing public cart, so the prize literally became 'every product advertised in the Super Bowl', spanning 76 brands.

The final spot directed viewers to a site and a promo code — but the code was constructed so that entering it was part of the chase, generating anticipation and conversation as much as the prize itself.

DoorDash froze its own slot until the fourth quarter, letting the growing cart build suspense all game, then landed the win by showing off the absurd haul it had amassed.

why it works

  • It converted rival ads from a threat into an asset — their spend became build-up for DoorDash's prize.
  • Demonstration beats assertion: people saw the claim executed rather than told.
  • The slow-accumulation cart created a public narrative that lasted the entire broadcast.
  • The promo-code mechanic turned passive viewers into active participants, which fed earned social reach.
the payoffProve the claim by delivering every ad on the broadcastinspired

what transfers

Spend your media moment as a demonstration rather than a claim. Letting the audience watch the idea happen is far more memorable, and shareable, than simply being told about it.

what came after

The campaign drew 11.9 billion earned impressions, more than 8 million entries, nearly 300 million social impressions and 117 million viewers. It won the Titanium Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2024 along with a One Show Gold Pencil, and became the template for the brand's recurring 'deliver the ads' franchise.

references

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