With Cookies Off the Menu, Seamless Delivers Out-of-Home With First-Party Data

It’s been a huge year for at-home food ordering. But now, Seamless is ready to hit the streets to meet the customers where they increasingly are: outside. Seamless just launched a digital out-of-home campaign in New York City to capture consumers’ attention as they enter or pass public transit. Ads have been placed on Urban Panels at subway entrances and on station screens, as well as bus shelters and the Link NYC Wi-Fi kiosks around the city. The screen images are constantly updated and are based on popular delivery menu items available at nearby eateries in Seamless’ system. "As New Yorkers reemerge after the past year of lockdown, this work aims to delight and inspire ordering occasions while celebrating the vibrant and diverse food that makes this city and its surrounding boroughs so great,” said Jess Burns, vp for brand marketing and creative at Seamless's Chicago-based parent, Grubhub. The “Always Ready” effort is a collaboration with Dentsu Media’s OOH team and Seamless’s creative agency, 72andSunny. The campaign relies on Dentsu Media’s Liveposter platform, which provides locally relevant ads that respond to time of day and weather. The ads are scheduled to run through the end of 2021. Time to order a new campaign Time is a key element reflected by the campaign in another way. With Covid-19 rates steadily dropping amid rising vaccinations, major cities are loosening restrictions on restaurants and other public places. The CDC's new mask guidance announced Thursday is another milestone in that recovery. Pandemic-driven gains over the last year led to combined revenue of $3 billion for delivery apps Seamless, Grubhub and others including Postmates, Uber Eats and DoorDash/Caviar, according to MarketWatch. Grubhub and Seamless ended Q1 2021 with 33 million active diners and revenue of $550.6 million, up 38% and up 52%, respectively, over Q1 2020. Dynamic ads have been placed on urban panels throughout New York. But the surge in at-home food orders is expected to sag as life outside the home returns. Morning Consult asked consumers in February about their food delivery habits. The top reason for using delivery apps was that it “saves me time,” which was cited by 56% of respondents. However, 47% said it makes them feel “less exposed during the pandemic." That's why Grubhub, which is in the process of being acquired by British-Dutch company Just Eat Takeaway for an estimated $7.3 billion, believes now is the time for a DOOH campaign. “Our primary goals for this campaign were to drive top-of-mind awareness, brand preference and order lift across the boroughs,” Seamless’ Burns told Adweek. “We’re proud to have been able to support our community of restaurants and diners over the course of the pandemic. Our goal now is for Seamless to be a source of inspiration for New Yorkers to support their favorite local restaurants, whether they choose to get delivery or dine in.” Serving up the value of OOH and first-party data OOH has always been a staple of the Seamless marketing strategy, Burns said. But this effort, in particular, helps reinforce “our differentiation as the only New York-based delivery brand that knows 'How New York Eats'—our brand tagline.” The ability to harness first-party data has always been considered the most valuable, most actionable advertising tool. That’s especially true now. The emphasis on using first-party data with Dentsu Media’s Liveposter ad delivery reflects the “death of the third-party cookie” as the challenge of targeting mobile consumers in real-time is heightened. How Cookies Work and Why They’re Going Away Still, Burns insisted that employing first-party data was hardly new in its marketing and advertising. “Seamless has a history of leveraging its first-party data to inspire marketing campaigns,” she said. For example, in 2018, the brand launched the Seamless Awards. “Special recognition” was given to neighborhoods based on their ordering behaviors. The "Hottest Neighborhood" was awarded for the area with the highest number of extra-hot sauce orders. "The Most Farm-to-Couch Neighborhood" was given according to the number of orders labeled “organic.” It was all information Seamless had gleaned from its network. "These first-party data-driven campaigns help us further reinforce that Seamless is an authority on How New York Eats," Burns said.