DoorDash Serves Up a Food-Lover’s Soccer Chant in Epic Musical Campaign

As official partner of Major League Soccer, DoorDash has delivered its latest campaign inspired by its fans with ‘Passion Should Never Go Hungry.’ With sound crafted by award-winning music and sound production company SOUTH, the project centres on a rousing soccer chant poised between raw authenticity and cinematic splendour.

The spot follows a diverse crowd of soccer fans, following the lead of an impassioned capo. As he drives the chant, set to the tune of ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’ with playfully tweaked Spanglish lyrics, the horde marches through the street, demanding what they most desire: food. Singing about their love of pizza and fries, the chant deepens with increasing layers of harmony and instrumentation, transforming into a full-blown musical experience as it reaches its crescendo.

The DoorDash in-house team approached SOUTH directly for the project, involving the music and sound production company heavily from the outset. With the song and lyrics already chosen by DoorDash, SOUTH were tasked with all the rest, from original music and voice casting to arrangement, sound design, and final mix.

Striving for authenticity, DoorDash’s team was keen for a raw, guttural performance from people with real connections to soccer culture. Leaving no stone unturned in their search, SOUTH managed to rally together a team of vocalists with the right experience to deliver an authentic performance. A testament to the success of the casting process, the team found a Spanish-speaking lead to sing the bilingual lyrics, with a voice that uncannily matches the actor on screen. 

Building the chant up in layers, the audio features predominantly pre-recorded vocalists with captured sound from the set sprinkled in for added realism. Collaborating closely with the DoorDash team to craft a more full-bodied experience, SOUTH adapted the sound to meet their needs as they evolved with each cut, incorporating additional voices for a more diverse sound, and more people singing in tune for greater musicality.

During post, the teams worked to strike a balance between raw power and cinematic grandeur. Crafting two versions of the audio, one truly raw and one perfectly polished, SOUTH worked to incorporate both into the spot, evolving from guttural to musical through the addition of a subtle orchestra halfway through. By adding this cinematic touch, SOUTH managed to imbue the sound with a level of playfulness that manages the chant’s humorous lyrics. Increasing that magical element as the chant goes on, the final composition guides the audience, subtly heightening the emotion as it reaches its peak.

Dan Pritikin, partner and creative director at SOUTH, comments: “This project was a truly positive experience from beginning to end. DoorDash were such collaborative creative partners, and we really appreciate the trust they had in us to deliver a pitch-perfect performance that balances raw power with musicality. Nothing compares to that little moment of anticipation when you’re about to receive the cut, and the relieved joy you feel when you realise it's really going to work.”

Ann Haugen, partner and executive producer at SOUTH, adds: “Each new project we do requires us to bring fresh perspectives to the table and go above and beyond the traditional music track - and we absolutely thrived off the challenge of this one. I felt such a rush figuring out how to meet all the different criteria to make something amazing. Seeing it slowly come together and end up better than imagined is priceless - it’s definitely one of my favourite projects we’ve done this year.”

The campaign will air from Friday, June 10th across broadcast, social, and streaming.