THE MOST ANTICIPATED MOMENT IN DELIVERY HISTORY
We spent months listening to customers talking about the joys and tribulations driven by delivery, measuring sentiment and loyalty. So many of the moments and experiences were purely transactional, creating little emotion or deeper connection to the delivery company.
But then we found one delivery that we realized was unlike any other. The most anticipated, joy-filled meal we will ever deliver.
That delivery? Mom’s first post-partum meal.
After nine months of restricted diets and “no’s,” Mom can finally say “yes" ... to her favorite deli sandwich ... loaded sushi rolls ... soft cheeses ... even champagne.
We conducted primary research to look deeper into the moment. We discovered:
We knew we had found an occasion capable of delivering a connection like no other. Now, we just had to find the best way in.
UNLOCKING A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOYALTY
Expecting moms wait nine months for their post-delivery meal. We were determined to deliver it. Our hypothesis was that if we met moms with deep empathy in this unique moment, we’d unlock a different kind of loyalty. Genuine, lifetime loyalty.
But it would have been easy to get it wrong. We were inviting ourselves to one of the most intimate moments of Mom’s life–even if it’s joyful and often shared on socials. As a brand, we needed to take a precise, respectful, and authentic approach.
If we were going to be welcomed into this moment, we had to be invited in by moms. We couldn’t buy our way in; we had to earn it. And to earn loyalty, we needed authenticity and credibility. That’s when we realized that our campaign had to be delivered by moms themselves. We couldn’t just expect moms to be recipients of branded messages. We needed to activate them to be our voice, our storytellers, and our catalysts for action.
So, in August 2024, peak baby birth month in the U.S., we partnered with America’s moms to launch a very special delivery service.
GRUBHUB SPECIAL DELIVERY: THE BEST MEAL EVER FOR MOMS WHO JUST DELIVERED
Grubhub’s ‘Special Delivery’ delivered the first post-partum meal to more than 5,000 moms. To further drive loyalty, we offered participating moms a free year of Grubhub+. This earned-led idea drove a 360 plan.
LAUNCHING WITH MOMS
Our campaign was inspired by Mom's journey, so we put her in the driver’s seat. Every executional element was designed by moms for moms.
TEASING ANTICIPATION
To build anticipation and buzz ahead of launch, we launched a teaser video featuring one of the most iconic symbols of birth—storks—flying across the New York City skyline with Grubhub bags in-beak. The video sparked intrigue across social platforms and became one of the top Grubhub Instagram posts during the campaign period.
PR LAUNCH
To tell our story, we put real moms front and center. We scoured social to find authentic, raw, compelling videos of moms in hospital beds--food in one arm, baby in the other--to tell a UGC-delivery love story that announced Special Delivery to the world.
As part of our earned outreach, we created custom pitch assets to capture the attention of top targets. We used AI to superimpose storks in front of media office buildings in images, thus increasing response rate.
INFLUENCERS
We couldn’t just use any influencers to amplify our campaign; we needed to find moms who were expecting …on our timeline. Mother Ashley Laconetti from reality TV fame, backed by a group of other influential mothers, shared authentic content that inspired moms everywhere to share their own stories, express appreciation for Grubhub and download our app.
REALTIME SOCIAL
When moms shared their thanks, so did we. We celebrated moms all over social, created social content that stopped moms in their scrolls, and even dropped special bundles off on influential doorsteps.
GRUBHUB'S MOST SUCCESSFUL EARNED-LED CAMPAIGN EVER
DELIVERING RECORD LEVELS OF LOYALTY AND BUSINESS
Special Delivery exceeded every business goal, unlocking loyalty and business impact.
“As well as delivering to the nation’s moms, Special Delivery has delivered an unparalleled impact to our business.” Dave Tovar, Grubhub SVP of Communications and Government Relations.
