DoorDash Introduces Unlikely Kiwi Superhero In NZ Brand Campaign

DoorDash has introduced a superhero, reimagined a classic anthem, and produced a series of films with FEDERATION and Supernormal to strengthen its brand presence in New Zealand.

For its biggest local brand campaign to date, DoorDash introduced ‘Dash’ – the fast and friendly delivery hero who is always there when hunger strikes.

Dash’s anthem is Queen’s famous track ‘Flash’ – now re-recorded and remixed into a bespoke campaign track called ‘Dash!’ with Brian May’s blessing.

Speaking to LBB, FEDERATION CCO Brad Collett explained the approval process with Brian May’s team took some time – especially while Brian was at Coachella – but was ultimately “worth it” since the track acts as the “perfect anthem”.

“The clearance was definitely tricky,” he said.

“We had Queen’s team in the UK, Flash Gordon’s movie IP in New York, and legal teams in Brazil. Coordinating all these different time zones and teams was a logistical challenge, but it was totally worth it.

“With the help of Liquid Studios, we reworked the track to fit the campaign.”

The campaign kicked off on May 25th with the first of three 30-second TVCs, ‘Drop the Ball’, centring on a “ruined game day feed”.

Brad said the character, whose superpowers change from spot to spot, was designed for Kiwis to “really connect with”.

“DoorDash is all about reliability, so we designed Dash to embody those traits: fast, friendly, and a bit cheeky,” Brad said. “He’s the guy who shows up when hunger strikes, and he’s not just a superhero, he’s New Zealand’s latest local icon.”

But Dash isn’t an everyday superhero, and FEDERATION creative director Bobbie McKay described the character as specifically “superhero-lite”.

“He’s not about smashing through walls or flying, he’s about showing up on time when you need him most,” Bobbie explained. “With a relatable Kiwi charm, he’s fast but not perfect, which makes him feel real and fun. The smashing through walls might come later though.”

FEDERATION added the campaign is “big, bold, and fun”, which the agency expects will resonate.

“We’re going all out with TV, BVOD, out-of-home, digital, radio, and social,” Brad said of the media plan. “Dash represents timeliness, and Kiwis will connect with that.

“We believe people will start calling out ‘Dash!’ when they’re hungry, and it’s all thanks to [DoorDash marketing manager] Rhian Bedford-Palmer, who backed this idea from the start. This campaign is about more than just a character; it’s a whole experience.”

Bobbie added the campaign is “about more than just a character.”

“It’s a whole experience,” she said. “We’ve already had a great response from our peers, and our parents… we just need New Zealand calling out ‘Dash! AAAAAAAAH!’ when they’re needing a feed.”

After the recent success of Auckland Transport’s ‘Mix Your Go’, FEDERATION was eager to work again with Supernormal director duo THUNDERLIPS.

“They came in with an amazing treatment,” Brad said. “Their collaboration, smarts, and charm really brought something fresh and unexpected to the project.”

On what they admitted was a “complex” job, THUNDERLIPS ultimately couldn’t turn down the opportunity to work on “such a strong idea”.

“Brad and Bobbie weren’t precious about their previous work when they thought we had added something cool,” THUNDERLIPS told LBB.

“We had an idea of what Dash might be like: charismatic, funny, charming, but also super down-to-earth and relatable for New Zealanders, but we knew the final piece of the puzzle would be casting.

“Mikey was the first casting tape we saw and we knew instantly that he was the one. He just felt so authentic. It felt like there was a lot of Dash in Mikey already, which made our job so much easier.”

The pair approached the shoot from two different perspectives – it was both a superhero movie and a Kiwi comedy.

“This was one of the biggest campaigns we’ve directed to date,” they said. “Although the weather gods decided to bless us with rain on our sunny BBQ shoot day… our lighting team and colourist brought the summer vibes.”

Dash’s costume was a significant creative discussion, and debates swirled around the composition of the cape, and whether he should wear a hoodie, jandals, stubbies, or t-shirts.

“We ended up going classic,” Bobbie said. “A little futuristic, knowing he would need to be timeless, and the next big Kiwi icon. It had to be right.”

When the directors saw Mikey – who became a father for the fourth time between the two shooting days – in the costume, they knew it “just felt right”.

“We’d all nailed it,” they said.

THUNDERLIPS and FEDERATION said audiences could be seeing a lot more of Dash.

“We’ve just scratched the surface,” Bobbie said. “We’ve got some surprises lined up… one thing’s for sure, Dash is here to stay.”

THUNDERLIPS added, “[Dash is] so perfectly formed that expanding his world would be such a joy for us.

“In each [spot] he does something unexpected and different from the one before. It’s this subversion and escalation of the rules that would make Dash such a fun character to revisit.

“We’d do it in a heartbeat.”