DoorDash is looking to expand consumers' perceptions of what they can order from the delivery service, best known for food items, with a new back-to-school marketing campaign.
The delivery company is promoting a “Welcome BackPack” campaign, giving away 5,000 free, fully-stocked backpacks. The custom backpacks come filled with school supplies, as well as snacks from online grocery store Albertsons, such as animal crackers, popcorn, Kind bar, and juice. The backpacks will also include a face mask and hand sanitizer spray from Jessica Alba’s brand, Honest.
The campaign marks the latest efforts by DoorDash to expand beyond food delivery. The company partnered with PetSmart earlier this year to deliver pet supplies, for example.
DoorDash has been making a meaningful marketing push in recent months, including a deal with streaming platform Twitch, and its first foray into the Super Bowl in February with a commercial starring Daveed Diggs and Sesame Street characters.
In June of this year, DoorDash rolled out a limited edition game called "In The Bag" as part of its partnership with Albertsons. The Tetris-like game has players fit and match as many food staples into a grocery bag as they possibly can until the bag overflows, giving users the chance to score savings on their future orders. Players had one hour to get their best score, which they could submit for a chance to win a $5,000 DoorDash gift card.
“Today, the age of pigeonholed brands is over. The underlying theme is that brands strive to be useful and meaningful to their customers in a manner that transcends product categories,” Dipanjan Chatterjee, VP and principal analyst at Forrester Research, said in an email. “I think the point of DoorDash’s campaign is to appear useful to an audience of parents who are also making decisions about how to get dinner on the table amid hectic schedules.”
To enter the backpack giveaway, DoorDash is asking people to share the school supply they most often forget to buy on Twitter with the hashtags #DashToSchool and #Entry. The giveaway starts today at 10 a.m. PT, and runs while supplies last.
“Back to school is a time that brings a combination of excitement and stress for parents and children alike and as a mom of two boys, I can relate," Katie Daire, senior director of consumer marketing at DoorDash, said in a statement. “At DoorDash, we are always looking for unique ways to leverage our platform to provide access to the best of your neighborhood. What excites me most about this campaign is that it provides a meaningful solution for parents through providing snacks, health and wellness items, school supplies, and more, whether their children are back in the classroom or embarking on another year of virtual learning.”
