The most strikingly crafted campaign of the year? Probably, even though we’re only three weeks into January. Hard Work Club and director, Henry Scholfield, have turned a simple story into a striking different, ultra-stylish, kinetic and theatrical three-act campaign for DoorDash Canada.

One Delivery in Three Acts is the story of a ruined birthday cake, with DoorDash playing the hero, told artfully from three perspectives, a DoorDash customer whose child’s birthday party has potentially been ruined by a smashed cake (the result of an errant shot from a slingshot), a DoorDash merchant – the restaurant that is suddenly pressed into action to save the day by creating a replacement cake, and the Dasher enlisted to quickly deliver the new cake to partygoers.

All the action takes place on an elaborate neighbourhood set that takes its inspiration from stage design, complete with a series of revolving and sliding platforms. Both the sets and actors remain in constant and highly choreographed motion throughout the spots, with actors moving fluidly as they dip in and out of the fantastical world. The surreal scenes were created with a combination of practical and digital effects, underscored by a reworked version of the upbeat ‘60s hit, Hold On I’m Coming, by Sam & Dave, mixed by SNDWRx in Toronto. Choreographers, Keone and Mari Madrid, were brought on board for their expressive yet narrative approach to dance.

The first two spots debuted on January 10, with the third spot appearing during coverage of the NBA All-Star Game on February 18. All three spots will run throughout the game. The campaign is Hard Work Club’s third for DoorDash in as many years.

Heather Cameron, head of brand & creative for DoorDash Canada, stated, “It can feel like you push a button and just like that, a delivery arrives at your door. But of course, there is a whole neighbourhood hustling to make that happen. This work gives merchants and Dashers their due, putting a magical spotlight on the whole flywheel that makes what we do possible.”

“We wanted to show the connective thread that weaves through each neighbourhood and every order—bringing the customer, the merchant and Dasher stories into a single arc,” commented Hard Work Club co-founder and executive creative director, Meghan Kraemer. The goal, she adds, was to campaign that celebrated the craft of artistic expression without feeling like an ad.

The main spots are also being supported by a series of cutdowns and digital content tailored towards merchants and Dashers as part of the company’s respective DoorDash for Merchants and Dash to It platforms.

The media buy by Wavemaker is focused on English and French programming, and coverage within sports. It is being supported by an online video buy.

Credits:
Client: DoorDash Canada 
Head of Brand & Creative, Canada: Heather Cameron 
Senior Manager, Consumer Brand Marketing: Delly Dyer
Senior Manager, Dasher Brand Marketing: Sarah Jue 
Senior Manager, Merchant Brand Marketing: Martine English 
Graphic Designer: Dustin Cordeiro

Agency: Hard Work Club 
Co-Founder & Executive Creative Director: Meghan Kraemer
Head of Integrated Production: Monika Ghobrial 
Director of Client Success: Emma Pratt
Director, Project Management: Cecilia Hui
Strategist: Sarah Phillips
Senior Designers: Priya Mistry & Dameon Neath

Production Company: Spy Films
Director: Henry Scholfield 
Executive Producer: Marcus Trulli
Director of Photography: Xiaolong Liu 
UK Line Producer: Ash Lockmun
1st Assistant Director: Oleksii Smoliar 
Production Designer: Jay Pooley 
Choreographers: Keone and Mari Madrid
Line Producer: Chris Boddy 
Producer: Aasttha Khajuria 

Editing House: School Editing
Editor: Izzy Ehrlich
Assistant Editor: Zhenya Dolzikov 
Executive Producer: Yumi Suyama

Colour & VFX: Feather 
Colourist: Tricia Hagoriles
Online Artist: Julian van Mil
Compositors: Diego Dutra, Sergej Liamin, Mike Morley 
Head of VFX: Colin Cunningham
Studio Manager: Evan Spicer
CG: Karol Kisiel 
Motion Graphics: Justin Wotherspoon
Online Assistant: Huan Le Vu Cong 
Executive Producers: Sara Windrim & Emily Goldberg 
VFX Set Supervision: Colin Cunningham, Dequiera Atherton

Music & Sound: SNDWRX 
Song Production: Didier Tovel 
Sound Design: Didier Tovel, Alex Gluch, Colin Brown, Michael Henley
Mix: Alex Gluch, Colin Brown
English Voice Over: Brita Badour
French Voice Over: Melanie Paiment 

Act 1:
Strings: Brendan Rogers
Vocals: Londa Larmond, Jennifer Lewin

Act 2:
Vocals: Jennifer Lewin, Londa Larmond

Act 3:
Vocals: Michael Henley 
Music Licensing and Supervision: Creative License 

Media: Wavemaker
Managing Director, Client Leadership: Sandra Cardoso
Director, Media: Laura DeGrace
Associate Director, Media: Anthony Visconti
Senior Media Planner: Emma Lasagna
Media Planner: Anastasiia Nikolaeva
Assistant Media Planner: Kerina McMorris