Instacart is tapping into holiday nostalgia with a new stop-motion animated ad campaign designed to alleviate the pressures of seasonal preparations. The grocery delivery platform's latest marketing push pays homage to classic Rankin/Bass specials, aiming to provide a sense of relief and convenience for consumers navigating the often-chaotic holiday period.
The campaign features a series of animated spots depicting common holiday crises, such as a dog wreaking havoc on decorations or the daunting task of baking an intricate pie. In these scenarios, real-world characters turn to the Instacart app for help, transitioning into a whimsical, wintry wonderland where talking animals assemble and deliver orders to resolve the festive dilemmas.
Operating under the new creative platform, "Get a little magic delivered," these stop-motion ads were developed in collaboration with renowned animation studio Starburns Industries, production company RadicalMedia, and Instacart's newly unveiled internal creative agency, Local Produce. The national campaign will be broadcast across linear TV, over-the-top (OTT) platforms, paid social media, and online video channels.
Instacart's Vice President of Brand Marketing, Jasmine Taylor, stated that the campaign is designed to celebrate individuals who quietly manage holiday preparations, aiming to offer relief from the immense pressure to create perfect moments. By leveraging the strong nostalgic ties consumers have with Rankin/Bass classics like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman," Instacart highlights the convenience and wide array of goods available through its mobile app, including non-grocery items like ornaments and lights. This handcrafted approach also subtly contrasts with the increasing trend of brands utilizing AI-generated ads for seasonal promotions.
Further amplifying the campaign, Instacart has partnered with over 25 CPG brands, including Oatly, Kerrygold, Duracell, Marie Callender's, and Breyer's. These brands are featured in the commercials alongside animated characters like a muscular polar bear and a sunglasses-wearing cat, and will participate in retail media activations from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve. A unique social media extension, the "Lie Pie" kit, developed by agency Rethink, offers a pre-baked pie with separate ingredients, allowing users to present it as homemade. Reality TV star Boston Rob, known for his strategic gameplay on "Survivor," is promoting the "Lie Pie" on social channels. A limited number of these kits will be available in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago for shoppers who donate to Feeding America via a dedicated microsite. Instacart is also collaborating with New York Times Cooking for Sunday paper spreads.
This holiday initiative follows Instacart's fall campaign, which personified "Sunday Scaries" (like laundry and dishwashing) as animated monsters. The use of stop-motion animation for holiday marketing isn't exclusive to Instacart; prebiotic soda brand Olipop, for instance, featured misunderstood yetis in its stop-motion holiday ads last year.
