Instacart Out-of-Home Campaign
Year
First Year
Category
Advertising / Illustration
Medium
Out-of-Home (Bus Shelters)
Deliverables
5 Illustrations + 3 Mockups
Overview
The Concept
This campaign reimagines Instacart's brand positioning from a simple grocery delivery service to a companion for every life moment. The core insight: people don't just order groceries — they order what they need based on what's happening in their lives.
Each ad in the series features a relatable text message scenario paired with a curated illustration of items someone might need delivered. From late-night study sessions to post-breakup comfort, the campaign uses warm, hand-drawn illustration to create an emotional connection with the audience.
The tagline "We're more than groceries." ties each execution together, reinforcing Instacart's expanded role in everyday life while maintaining a playful, approachable tone through colourful speech bubbles and illustrated product vignettes.
Deliverables
Individual Ads
Each ad pairs a text-message scenario with illustrated products that Instacart could deliver for that moment. Click any image to view it larger.
"Sorry I can't come out to the party, I'm working super late tonight!"
"Dude, I think our project is actually due tonight and not tomorrow..."
"Just got dumped..."
"Don't be mad, but I just adopted a dog"
"Last night was craaazy"
In Context
Environmental Mockups
The ads placed in real-world bus shelter environments to demonstrate the campaign at scale.
Bus shelter placement — urban context
Bus shelter placement — city street
Bus shelter placement — park setting
Reflection
Key Takeaways
Concept Development
Starting with a strong insight — that delivery services serve emotional needs, not just logistical ones — created a campaign with genuine resonance.
Illustration as Personality
The hand-drawn illustration style gives the brand a warm, approachable feel that stands out from typical delivery app advertising.
Scalable Campaign System
The text bubble + illustration + tagline formula creates a system that could easily extend to dozens more scenarios and touchpoints.
Context Matters
Placing the ads in bus shelter mockups grounds the campaign in reality and shows understanding of out-of-home advertising best practices.