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The moral of the story of DoorDash’s new campaign: Mom can’t seem to get a moment to herself…even when she’s on the toilet.
The delivery service, diverging from the typically saccharine marketing that floods media channels for Mother’s Day, has launched a slice-of-life ad that shows a number of exhausted, multitasking moms-in-chief who dream of taking “a full bath” or maybe just having uninterrupted potty time.
The campaign, with its relatable hero spot called “DoorDad,” comes from Gut Los Angeles and DoorDash’s in-house creative studio Superette. The work announces a promo that aims to give matriarchs a much-deserved, sanity-saving breather via “the ultimate 24/7 life assistant.”
Here’s the deal: consumers who order a bouquet through DoorDash from May 9-11 will automatically unlock up to $50 in credit—or as much as $75 for DashPass members—toward select gifts.
Per the video, the money would be well-spent on a meal (that mom does not have to cook), a pampering piece of swag (her fave candles or cookies), or an IRL experience (a family activity or two tickets to that thing she loves).
“As a mom myself, I know how much mental juggling happens behind the scenes and how meaningful it can feel to be truly seen,” said Eli Vélez, DoorDash managing director for partner agencies and Superette. “With ‘DoorDad,’ we wanted to help give families an easy, joyful way to show up for moms and take some of that everyday load off her plate.”
The video stars actress Brenda Song, introducing “DoorDad” as the solution to Mother’s Day gifting. Will it stop the constant cries of “MOOOMMMM!” throughout America? Maybe not, but it’s a chipping-away process.
“Now that I have two kids, I know firsthand that decision-making fatigue is real and that moms should not be taking on more mental load on Mother’s Day of all days,” Song said in a statement, noting that the “sit back and relax” part of the promo is as crucial as the fresh flowers.
The agency wanted to bring “humor and heart” to the truism that mom carries a heavy load—often planning her own Mother’s Day celebration—and “give dad a little nudge to step up,” according to Bruno Acanfora, chief creative officer of Gut.
“As a dad, this campaign really hit home,” Acanfora said. “It made me think about all the invisible things moms do, and how easy it is to let that go unnoticed.”
‘Default parent’
As evidence that moms do more than their fair share, a 2023 study from Syracuse University found that moms are often the “default parent.” Schools call them first, for instance, even when dads are listed equally on emergency contact forms.
According to a recent NIQ study, consumers plan to recognize mom on the holiday, though many (one in four) wait until the week before to do their shopping. Among the top picks are flowers, chocolates, jewelry, perfume, gift cards, and wellness items. Department store shoppers will amp their spending in 2025, with an average of $190 devoted to mom gifts, per the researcher.
“DoorDad” will run through May 11 on connected TV, online video, social, display, podcasts, and influencer channels.
