Who: DoorDash Canada and the WNBA, with No Fixed Address for creative and strategy; Good Karma for production (directed by Vanessa Millado); Nimiopere for editing; Darling for VFX and animation; SNDWRx for sound; Wavemaker and GroupM for media.
What: “It’s Happening,” a 30-second film promoting girls’ sports, tied to the delivery app’s sponsorship of the WNBA and its first game in Canada.
When & Where: The film will run in Scotiabank Arena, host venue for that pre-season matchup between the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx on Saturday (May 13). It will also run during Canadian broadcasts of WNBA games throughout the season.
Why: The WNBA coming to Canada—when hopes are rising that Toronto will get a franchise—is a fitting time for DoorDash Canada to make a statement about its support for girls and women’s sports.
One of the concerns about girls’ sports is that too many young girls stop playing early in life—according to a report from Canadian Women & Sport, 50% of girls quit sports before adolescence.
The film was created to mark the WNBA game, celebrate women’s basketball, and remind viewers that by seeing other girls and women playing high-level sports, young girls may be encouraged to continue playing themselves.
How: NFA calls the 30-second film a “love letter” to girls picking up a basketball for the first time, and the women who never stopped playing the game.
It opens with a voiceover declaring “It’s happening,” as a montage of quick cuts shows girls and women on the court, shooting hoops in the park and on the street, practicing hard, or staring into the camera with steely determination, all to illustrate the opening declaration that girls and women are playing basketball.
But then the spot switches: “And we need more,” says the voiceover. The rest of the film delivers the message that too many young girls give up on sports, but are more likely to keep playing if they see other women playing high-level sports—like a WNBA game. There’s very little DoorDash branding, just an opening logo and a sponsorship line to close the spot. The focus is entirely on girls and sports.
“As a woman and parent to young girls, this campaign’s intentions are powerful,” said Alexis Bronstorph, chief creative officer, No Fixed Address. “DoorDash Canada is leading the charge toward a more equitable and visible future for women athletes, and finding solutions to keep more young Canadian girls interested in playing sports as they age is an ambition we will always jump at the chance to be part of.”
Aside from its WNBA sponsorship, DoorDash announced last month that it has signed on as just the fourth sponsor of the new Canadian women’s professional soccer league slated to kick off in 2025.
“Our mission is to empower local economies and that starts in the community,” said Shilpa Arora, DoorDash Canada’s general manager, when that sponsorship was announced. “We’re committed to investing in programs that drive meaningful change, create more room at the table, and level the playing field.”