Droga5 Cooks Up a Week's Worth of Meals in Touching Ads for Blue Apron

In a sweet series of ads for Blue Apron, Droga5 shows people "What Cooking Can Do" every day of the week, whether it be allowing new parents to find some alone time (however briefly) or helping an old dog learn new tricks (i.e., a 76-year-old man picking up an apron for what may be the first time in his life). The campaign features five unique stories—one each for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, when Blue Apron meal kits are delivered to customers. The ads have been airing on their respective days this week, both offline and online. Each depicts a different yet relatable story, and shows why people choose to cook with Blue Apron. [kickout id="1"] “The Blue Apron brand represents so much more than ingredients in a box," CMO Jared Cluff said in a statement. "Our product is an experience, and our brand signifies a love of home cooking, excitement and discovery, and deep, meaningful human connections. Over the past five years, we’ve received thousands of stories from customers who have shared with us the emotional and transformative experience they have had with our meals." So what are those stories? [kickout id="2"] It's Monday night. It's raining. We see an exhausted man, clearly not looking forward to the rest of the 9-to-5 week ahead (we can all relate, right?). But in a selfless gesture, he rolls up his sleeves and surprises his significant other—who will be home from work soon, just as tired as him—with a home-cooked meal. Judging by his partner's reaction, he made the right move. [kickout id="3"] It's Tuesday evening. We meet a teenager. Life is hard. But he knows life is harder for Mom. He decides to show her what a good job she's done raising him, and Blue Apron is there to help (along with his little sister). Grab the tissues, as Mom is obviously touched. [kickout id="4"] It's Wednesday night—over the hump. We're introduced to a couple of new parents. They're scatterbrained, as new parents usually are. They finally get Junior settled down to sleep. Alone time at last. Time to cook (quietly!). They get through the meal without waking the baby. Hurrah! And then there's a bit of a slip-up and the baby is awakened. Well, at least Blue Apron got them dinner on the table. [kickout id="5"] Thursday evening is here—the weekend is in view. We're introduced to a 76-year-old man. He's cooking. By the shocked look on his son's face when he comes home to find the scene, we can deduce this is not a regular occurrence. "Mom would be proud," the young man tells his father, in what seems to be a moment when the spot is about to take a drastically tear-jerking turn. The father's lighthearted answer stops it short of becoming too emotional. [kickout id="6"] And now, it's the moment we've all been waiting for—Friday. Droga5 ends the week on a light note, with a young woman cooking a batch of linguini over drinks for a group of girlfriends. While the campaign focuses somewhat on the recipes Blue Apron offers, the spots are more of a tribute to the freedom one has when using the meals service. "With this new campaign, we wanted to celebrate that a Blue Apron meal experience is not just about what you are able to cook, it's who you become when you do,” noted Juliana Cobb, Droga5 group creative director. CREDITS Client: Blue Apron Campaign: "What Cooking Can Do" Chief Marketing Officer: Jared Cluff Vice President, Marketing: Rani Yadav Director, Content: Yaran Noti Director, Design: Stephan Hoefnagels Agency: Droga5 NY Creative Chairman: David Droga Chief Creative Officer: Ted Royer Executive Creative Director: Neil Heymann Group Creative Director: Juliana Cobb Associate Creative Director: Ben Grube, Brian Eden Copywriter: Abe Chuang Jr. Copywriter: Karly Brooks Jr. Art Director: Candice Drakeford Sr. Designer: Jaymes Barone Chief Creation Officer: Sally-Ann Dale Co-Directors of Film Production: Jesse Brihn, Bryan Litman Assoc. Director of Film Production: Ruben Mercadal Sr. Producer: Alen Grebovic Associate Producer: Carlos Valdivia Music Supervisor: Mike Ladman Director of Business Affairs: Jocelyn Howard Business Affairs Manager: Abigail Press Co-Directors of Interactive/Experiential: Justin Durazzo, Tasha Cronin Global Chief Strategy Officer: Jonny Bauer Group Strategy Director: Jonathan Gadd Brand Strategy Director: Sam Matthews Head of Communications Strategy: Colleen Leddy Co-Head of Strategy: Harry Roman-Torres Communications Strategy Director: Justin Schneider Senior Communications Strategist: Samantha Sutantio Chief Intelligence Officer: Amy Avery Data Strategy Director: Lily Ng Junior Data Strategist: Amanda Kwong Group Account Director: Ed Rogers, Sascha Uzzell Account Director: Ali Cornford Account Manager: Tara Fatemi Associate Account Manager: Jeff Winsper Production Company: Knucklehead Director: Paola Morabito DOP: Sharone Meir Executive Producer/Line Producer: Tim Katz Production Manager: Catriona Irving Editorial: WAX Editorial Editor: Stephen Jess & Jason Sager Assistant Editor: Drew Balke Executive Producer: Toni Lipari Producer: Annabelle Cuthbert Post Production: MPC Executive Producer: Jesse Kurnit Producer: Catherine Fischer Creative Director: Alvin Cruz Executive Producer of Color: Ellora Chowdhury Producer of Color: Olivia Jessop Telecine: Jean Clement Soret Music: Walker Sound: Heard City Mixer: Mike Vitacco