Global Ads Spotlight: How SkipTheDishes cooked up a smart, delicious solution to inflation
The "Inflation Cookbook," a smart, data-driven tool by food delivery brand SkipTheDishes (via SKipExpressLane), turned economic anxiety into actionable advice, and helped thousands of Canadians eat healthier without breaking the bank. Read and watch in our Global Ads Spotlight column.
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In the middle of Canada's worst food insecurity crisis in decades, one campaign didn't just advertise - it showed up with dinner.
The "Inflation Cookbook," a smart, data-driven tool by food delivery brand SkipTheDishes (via SKipExpressLane), turned economic anxiety into actionable advice, and helped thousands of Canadians eat healthier without breaking the bank.
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In 2022, food bank usage in Canada hit an all-time high. And when paychecks fall short, it's the processed, packaged stuff that fills the gap - cheap, fast, and usually not great for your health. SkipTheDishes spotted this tension and asked the right question: what if a tech tool could make healthy food the affordable option?
Enter Inflation Cookbook.
Less cookbook, more crystal ball - this nifty tool used real-time grocery pricing data to identify ingredients that were trending cheaper each week. Then, it paired those deals with chef-created, nutritionist-approved recipes.
In other words, it served up dinner ideas that were delicious, good for you, and just happened to be the best bargains in the store.
Tracking over 400 ingredients across major retailers in Canadian cities, the Inflation Cookbook was less of a campaign and more of a public service. And the kicker? It's not some short-lived stunt. The thing was built to last - flexible, scalable, and ready to roll out to make other markets facing similar challenges.
What really set the work apart was its ability to be useful and brand-aligned at the same time.
The campaign subtly reinforced SkipExpressLane's positioning as a source for fresh, affordable groceries - without ever screaming "Buy now!"
In fact, the brand's logo barely showed up at all. Instead, the utility led the change.
The numbers
By December 2023, the Inflation Cookbook had projected savings of $21.8 million for Canadian families. It clocked 28,600 weekly users, earned 355+ pieces of press, and racked up 400 million media impressions.
For a campaign that lived on a website and in people's kitchens, that kind of reach is nothing short of gourmet-grade.
Accolades
The campaign won several awards, including a Gold Media Lion at Cannes and a Gold in Commerce at D&AD. It also received recognition at The One Show.
