DoorDash Confronts Childhood Nightmares in Darkly Comic Recruitment Ads

DoorDash knows that our early life experiences shape who we are today. That’s why the company won’t make gig workers deliver pizza if an early pizza-related event scarred them for life. 

In its latest campaign, DoorDash promotes how it gives its drivers, also known as Dashers, more delivery options and ways to earn money through the Dash Preference feature. 

A funny yet creepy 30-second spot depicts a woman who decides she would prefer to deliver alcohol and groceries instead of pizza, because she’s still recovering from those “evil pizza robots” at her 7th birthday party. 

An extended music video, which will appear on social, underscores why that experience was so traumatic: The band of animatronic animals is reminiscent of a deranged Chuck E Cheese, with a strong “Five Nights at Freddy’s” vibe.  

“Just like the consumers who order on DoorDash, Dashers have their own specific preferences on how they like to earn, based on their own tastes and personalities,” Julio D’Alfonso, co-head of creative at DoorDash, said in a statement. “If the smell of pizza triggers a core memory of a creepy band of dead-eyed pizza robots from your 7th birthday party, you can keep earning and delivering plenty of things that aren’t pizza.”

The rest of the campaign is less disturbing. Additional 15-second spots include one that spotlights a man who realizes he can make more money delivering groceries than the unsuccessful nighttime lemonade stand he ran as a kid. 

Another shows a guy who prefers to deliver alcohol because he loves the authority of checking IDs—an affinity he developed while working at a movie theater in high school.

In a third commercial, a man hopes to earn more delivering groceries than his sad work as a daytime casino waiter. 

Creative agency Quality Meats, in partnership with DoorDash’s internal creative studio Superette, developed the spots, while Brian Billow was the director. The campaign will also include radio, static social, and banners running across paid social and digital video platforms.  

It is part of an ongoing recruitment campaign to attract new Dashers and retain existing ones by promoting the platform’s flexibility and control. For example, previous spots highlighted how Dashers can choose to earn money by time or offer, or how Dashers can make fast money in the event of a surprise expense.