Clementine, which debuted earlier this month, shares a starring role in reference-heavy ads that showcase meal inspiration and ordering capabilities
Courtesy of Instacart
This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.
Dive Brief:
- Instacart is giving its new artificial intelligence-powered shopping assistant a marketing boost with an integrated campaign laden with pop culture references, per news shared with Marketing Dive.
- A series of four ads show people watching TV and film fixtures like Shrek and Scooby-Doo, taking inspiration from scenes featuring food. They then turn to Clementine and use its AI capabilities for generating meal ideas and filling their shopping cart.
- “Turn any idea into an order” debuted during NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” last weekend and will run across linear TV, over-the-top TV, YouTube, audio, social and in-app channels. CPG brands including Hormel and Hillshire appear in the creative.
Dive Insight:
Instacart continues to lean into pop culture nostalgia in its marketing, with its latest campaign drawing on beloved movies and TV shows to herald the debut of Clementine. The AI assistant, which rolled out in North America earlier this month, is informed by Instacart transaction data stemming from over 1.6 billion lifetime orders and is positioned as a solution to common meal pain points, such as families struggling to figure out what to make for dinner.
Such scenarios play out in a quartet of ads where people watching TV have a moment of inspiration, even when what’s on screen isn’t particularly appetizing. A “Solo Dinner” spot opens with a scene from the 2001 DreamWorks picture “Shrek” wherein the titular green ogre tucks in for a meal for one consisting of slugs and other swamp fare. While the reference point is gross-out in nature, the viewer realizes she’s in the mood for a one-pan dinner and turns to Clementine for help, with the AI producing a butternut squash risotto recipe at the tap of a button.
The second ad, “The Ultimate Sandwich,” alludes to the protein-maxxing trend as a “Scooby-Doo” fan tries to replicate the piled-high cold cut subs enjoyed by Shaggy and Scooby-Doo in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
Another pair of commercials based on “The Office” and “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” will begin airing later in the fall, Instacart said. The ads were directed by Brian McGinn, who’s previously worked on culinary-themed programs like “The Bear” and “Chef’s Table.” The campaign was developed by Instacart’s in-house agency, Local Produce, while Prettybird led production.
Local Produce has previously made a splash with campaigns loaded with pop cultural touchstones. Instacart’s debut Super Bowl ad from last year roped in the mascots from CPG marketers like Pillsbury and Cheetos, creating an “Avengers”-style lineup of brand icons.
Instacart wants Clementine to become a regular part of users’ shopping habits, which will enable greater personalization as the AI learns over time, according to the company. Other features of the assistant include identifying promotions and lower-cost alternatives, automatic reordering for pantry staples and the ability to turn hand-written or digital shopping lists into a basket on Instacart.
“When we approached the branding and design, we wanted Clementine to feel like a warm and capable presence that helps you think ahead,” Jasmine Taylor, Instacart’s vice president of brand marketing, said in a statement. “The more you use the product, the more it gets to know your preferences and routines, and can deliver tailored responses to serve your needs.”
Clementine is available to most U.S. and Canadian Instacart users through the brand’s app and website. Instacart separately offers Cart Assistant, a white-label AI product that’s been adopted by other retailers including Food Bazaar, Heritage Grocers Group and Woodman’s, and has partnered with leading AI developers such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
