SkipTheDishes airs commercials starring Hamm

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This article was published 03/10/2018 (2558 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As competition heats up, Winnipeg-based SkipTheDishes is making a play to become the household name coast to coast in the food-delivery space.

The company is launching its largest television commercial campaign coinciding with the beginning of the 2018-19 NHL season, with the first of three spots featuring “honorary Canadian” Jon Hamm.

SkipTheDishes is now operating in 115 cities and claims to be the only food-delivery company operating coast to coast, having recently launched a full-service French-language operation to support its expansion into Quebec.

https://youtu.be/bng_LDPcGDE

It has also been ramping up partnerships, such as its exclusive arrangement with Earl’s, and is now the “official” food-delivery app for all the Canadian NHL teams, except the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In the spot that debuted on the first NHL broadcast of the season Wednesday, chatting with his assistant, Hamm derides him for being “such an American.” The assistant tells him, “You are, too, sir” and he says, “Then why do I love hockey?”

Kevin Edwards, a veteran marketing executive who was named chief ­marketing officer at SkipTheDishes earlier this year, said it is the largest television campaign for the company to date.

“The frequency will be extensive,” he said.

“You will be seeing the spots a lot over the next three months.”

Landing a high-priced, world-famous Hollywood actor for its spot is likely evidence of the company’s willingness to make a significant investment in its bid to gain dominance in the sector.

“We are thrilled to have Jon Hamm on board,” Edwards said. “He really embraced how we wanted to approach the market. We have been all about a sense of humour and he helped us build some fantastic scripts.”

Since it was founded here, SkipTheDishes may have the upper hand in the Winnipeg market, but with the national rollout of Uber Eats and other competitors in the space like Foodora and DoorDash, the market is getting crowded.

Indications are that the industry is doubling every six months, and SkipTheDishes itself has been growing dramatically. The evidence of its 1,000-plus back-office staff in Winnipeg is just one indication of that.

The company keeps details of its own operations under tight control, but the 2017 annual report of parent company Just Eat noted that SkipTheDishes grew by 264 per cent in 2017.

The company does still include a handful of U.S. cities on its list of locations, but Edwards made it clear that it is concentrating on the Canadian market.

“The Canadian opportunity is the key focus for us,” he said.

“There are so many great restaurants and partners that we can bring to the Canadian consumer. It does not mean we are ignoring the U.S., but at the moment, the focus is to become Canada’s food delivery of choice.”

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca