Who: SkipTheDishes, with Dentsu Creative for strategy and creative.
What: “Inflation Cookbook,” a digital tool that tracks real-time food pricing data to help consumers frustrated by food inflation.
When & Where: The cookbook itself is live now at InflationCookbook.com, and is being promoted through paid digital/social, with some newspaper support for the next four weeks.
Why: While SkipTheDishes is mostly known as a meal-delivery app, this campaign helps promote the app as a delivery option for groceries and other convenience items.
One of the biggest issues in the grocery category these days is rising prices, which has resulted in many people facing new food insecurity and otherwise struggling to buy healthy, nutritious foods.
The Inflation Cookbook is a way for SkipTheDishes to help Canadians find affordable and healthy food, while reminding them that SkipTheDishes is an option for delivery.
“As a proud Canadian company, we understand the important role we play in creating positive change for our industry, our communities, and our environment,” said SkipTheDishes’ interim CEO Steve Puchala in a release. The brand also has a long-standing partnership with Food Banks Canada to help those dealing with food insecurity, and will donate all surplus food from its 23 Skip Express Lane fulfillment centres to local food banks.
“We’re also proud to provide the Inflation Cookbook as a meal-planning tool that all Canadians can use to source affordable groceries for less,” said Puchala.
How: Consumers can access the cookbook through a mobile-friendly browser. It uses a unique algorithm to monitor the real-time prices of top nutritious foods, producing a list of options for people based on their location, family size, and budget.
Many of the 400 items tracked are produce, whole grains, and dairy items, as well as select proteins. The items are showcased almost like stocks: cheddar is down 20% and broccoli is down 14% this week, for example, while cucumbers are up 35% and chicken breast up 21%. The cheaper food items are listed with recipe suggestions using those ingredients.
“The Inflation Cookbook is about more than just getting the cheapest items, it’s a tool that helps them understand the week-to-week volatility of the healthiest ingredients so they can make the best choices for their budget,” said Jordan Doucette, Dentsu Creative’s chief creative officer.
Dentsu worked with a top nutritionist and chef to turn the ingredient lists into healthy recipes. “If you’re trying to save money and just shopping flyers, you might end up with the cheapest items but you don’t always know what to do with them and risk just wasting money,” said Doucette.
And we quote: “The challenge with inflation is not just the price increases, but the volatility of the prices. Things are going up and down so quickly, trying to shop becomes an overwhelming experience with most people having to put stuff back at the register.” —Rafik Belmesk, chief strategy officer, Dentsu Creative
