DoorDash turns delivery bags into podcast hosts in new ‘Bag Chat’ campaign via Clemenger BBDO

DoorDash is expanding the world of “The Bags” with the launch of Bag Chat, a social series developed by Clemenger BBDO, starring two animatronic DoorDash bags.

The podcast, where they discuss life, love, reality television and temperature preferences, marks the next evolution of “The Bags”, which were launched as part of DoorDash’s major new brand platform at the end of 2025. “The Bags” campaign introduced a cast of animatronic delivery bags brought to life through practical puppetry rather than CGI or animation, spanning 13 films across TV, out-of-home, audio, digital and social.

Designed to entertain first, each episode takes the form of a classic “bro podcast”, with comedians Will Gibb and Pat Doherty voicing the bags across a series of largely improvised 30-40 second episodes.

Across the series, the bags discuss everything from one bag’s claim that his grandfather was the briefcase from Pulp Fiction, to whether bags prefer carrying hot food or cold food, awkward small talk with other delivery bags, and opinions on Love Island.

While the series is built around the simplicity of having a chat, DoorDash sees Bag Chat as an important long-term investment in building fame, distinctiveness, and emotional connection around the brand platform.

DoorDash Manager of Consumer Marketing, Sarah Schwab says: “We know that connecting with customers in unexpected ways fuels growth, and Bag Chat was born from exactly that. The Bags started in a TVC, but we wanted to flip things on their head and see how the characters could evolve with a bit more freedom.

“Podcast clips are having such a moment right now – they cut through in a way traditional formats struggle to. So we thought: let’s make the Bags hosts and just let them be weird for a minute. No fixed length, no hard commercial objectives, just a chance for people to really love them. Clemenger and team brought them to life in ways we’ve never seen before, with one simple objective: have some fun and share a story.

“Ultimately, the more people who connect with the Bags, the more they connect with DoorDash, and that’s what makes a series like Bag Chat really exciting. Who knows what’s next?”

Says Tom Lawrence, Creative Director, Clemenger BBDO: “Audiences are increasingly exhausted by being constantly sold to. Every piece of branded content seems engineered to force in product demos, proof points or some kind of hard sell. “With Bag Chat, we wanted to turn the bags from ad assets into characters people actually care about. Because once audiences genuinely enjoy spending time with them, they become far more effective in traditional advertising too.”

Says Samuel Raftl, Creative Director, Clemenger BBDO: “In a world increasingly flooded with AI-generated content, people are craving things that feel real, human and tactile again. “That’s why we continued using practical puppetry and worked with improvisational comedians rather than trying to overly script or polish everything. The bags are imperfect, a bit awkward and strangely relatable. That’s kind of the point.”

Rather than tightly scripted dialogue, each episode was developed from loose conversational prompts, with Gibb and Doherty largely riffing and improvising in character during recording sessions.

Says Matt Chandler, CCO, Clemenger BBDO: “We’ve always believed the bags had far more life in them than traditional advertising would allow. Bag Chat lets audiences spend more time with the characters without forcing every moment to carry a sales message. Sometimes it’s just two bags discussing why warm soup feels good inside them on a cold winter’s night.”

Currently rolling out across DoorDash’s Instagram and YouTube channels, the series has launched with seven episodes, with more already in development.

Client: DoorDash
Creative Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Social Agency: Romano Beck
Production Company: Eden Studios
Puppets: MEG
Sound: Rumble Studios
Media Agency: Wavemaker

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