Delivery services have experienced a massive surge in users and revenue during the pandemic. Food delivery, in particular, has become a global market worth more than $150 billion, tripling since 2017.
This growth is reflected in delivery brands’ TV advertising presence. From 2019 to 2020, delivery service brands increased impressions on national TV by 55% with a 45% increase in estimated spend. Let’s take a closer look at how this growth compares to 2021, as well as a few new advertisers we’ve seen since early 2020.
New eats with EatOkra, Slice, and HotBox
Though Americans have been hammered with ads from delivery giants including UberEats, GrubHub, and DoorDash in recent years, EDO has also captured increasingly diverse delivery service brands advertising on linear TV.
For example, EatOkra, the app that connects foodies to Black-owned restaurants, aired two Bud Light co-branded spots during NFL games in 2020. The company’s “Make My Cake” ad and “Miss Carter’s Kitchen” ads focus on two black restaurant owners embedded in their local communities.
Slice, the pizza delivery app, similarly helps users find local eats. Its 30-second “That’s Why We Made Slice” spot has seen 3.84M impressions across 10 airings since November 2020, promoting its support of local mom-and-pop pizza shops.
Interestingly, Slice is one of only two brands (the other being UberEats) in this category that had a meaningful increase (28%) in its total number of airings year over year.
Even the niche delivery brand HotBox by Wiz Khalifa has seen screen time in 2021. HotBox is a joint venture between rapper Wiz and Nextbite, a company that creates virtual restaurant concepts specifically designed for delivery. HotBox had 837,000 impressions on three airings featuring Wiz Khalifa and its menu’s munchies on ESPN this year.
The food delivery landscape in 2021
Though the delivery services category has seen more diverse advertisers this year, some metrics are down. EDO has tracked a 20% decrease in category airings to 93,000, which is likely a continued result of the pandemic and a lesser need for TV advertising after an incredibly lucrative two years.
Despite the decline in total airings, however, the Search Engagement Volume (SEV) for the average delivery service category airing increased 22% from last year, meaning a TV viewer is 22% more likely to engage with a delivery service brand in 2021 over last year.
GrubHub and DoorDash drive more online searches in 2021
Two of the largest brands in the Delivery Services category have been leading the charge in engaging consumers through their national linear TV advertising:
- Year over year, GrubHub has generated 20% higher Search Engagement, meaning a TV viewer is 20% more likely to engage online with the brand in 2021. The brand’s 2021 campaign has also found success with some particularly successful spots, including Delivery Dance and Give the Gift of GrubHub.
- DoorDash generated just over one-fourth more online search engagement than last year, meaning a TV viewer in 2021 versus last year was 28% more likely to engage online with DoorDash after seeing a TV ad for the brand.
DoorDash also invested in an ad campaign during the NBA this year, promoting its title as the official partner of the league. The half-animated spot strings together short clips of sports fans celebrating their team’s highs and lows with the slogan: for every NBA moment, there’s a flavor on DoorDash.
While GrubHub and DoorDash are eliciting a solid amount of consumer engagement, we anticipate this will eventually level out as TV advertising in this category returns to normal in coming years.
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