Subway Ad #3: Seamless–A guide to becoming a true New Yorker

An ad campaign that hits me at my lazy core

I’ve noticed and appreciated the stylistic choices that Seamless has put out with their subway ads for the past year. Since moving here I have transitioned from using Uber Eats and Posmates to Seamless (partially influenced by my cousin and the other from these ads, to be honest).

All of the food delivery apps do the same thing at the end of the day: allow me to remain lazy and isolated from the world while I seamlessly spend twice as much on the food I could have walked over and gotten due to delivery fees. It’s a pretty great deal.

I’m here to be fed and feel comfortable, thank you very much.

Don’t get me wrong! I love food delivery apps! They took what the pizza shops and Chinese food places were already doing since the telephone made it into the American household and made it more accessible for any kind of restaurant. They created jobs and filled in a gap that has continued to be ever-expanding in our world today: wanting nice things but not doing the work or interaction with other people to get them.

Seamless does a great job of pointing out the trials and tribulations of their target audiences. It’s as if they’re saying “I see you” and looking into my troubled soul, realizing that all I want to do is eat nice food and not have to deal with long commutes to see a loved one, or not go out to that disappointing and tiring party when I could just stay in and not have to see daylight or another human being again!

Am I being understood or attacked?

There is something real here and I can totally relate to it! I’ve gone out and thought that maybe I should have just stayed home. And while I don’t have a cross-burrow relationship at the moment, I do have friends who even live in different neighborhoods and it’s a logistical pain in my ass to get to and from. (This points more to the issues with the MTA as a whole, but we can get into that in another review.)

I feel understood, but also called out with the life decisions I’m making and realize, perhaps, that I’m not really living my best life. I’m not necessarily saying that my best life is to stay at home and order more seitan curry from that vegetarian Chinese food place, AGAIN, but I am having a moment of introspection, so that’s worth something. Maybe my troubles aren’t due to my lack of convenience, but rather my lack of perspective about what is important in my life. Thanks, Seamless! ;P

A word on the lewk and feeeeel

I have respect for this ad campaign at the end of the day. They have a unique visual style that speaks to a fun, humanistic, food-loving audience. There’s something nice about being able to stay in the comfort of your own home and order in once in a while. I believe they’re using fantastic visual language to demonstrate this. Orange and red are known to inspire feelings of hunger (think McDonalds), flat illustrations are the bomb diggity in visual design trends, and using personable (but still generalized enough) language to form a sense of understanding of an audience is spot on!

Seamless is making the right moves when it comes to visual storytelling and getting their brand recognized. I applaud them for that. They seem to also know where they stand in the culture and are trying to get at what their customers' experiences are and the issues that they face.

It’s as if they’re saying “Look, I know it’s a tough life, having to walk and talk to other people and all, but hey! I got you on this one. Let me handle it all and you can stay there, nice and cozy, isolated, and becoming ever more dependent on processed food, convenience, and never having to wait in a line, use your own kitchen, or have another awkward interaction with another human being again! (At least when it comes to your food.)”

I see you Seamless. Thank you for inspiring me to not change a thing, remain in my unmoving state of inertia to get off the couch, and bring what I want to me for the low price of a delivery fee that is 50% of what I’m ordering. I’m just fine the way I am and you don’t want me to go changing for no one. You let me be who I am. ❤

It’s not you, it’s me.

After all of this, you may think that I hate Seamless and everything that the food delivery industry stands for. You’re only partly correct. I don’t hate anyone or anything. I’m glad that the industry exists! I will still continue to use Seamless. I will still continue to look at their ads and find useful design choices and marketing elements form them. They’re just doing their job! I respect and see the value they are creating for people.

The issue I have is more about myself and all of the other people out there who look for a crutch to their laziness, awkwardness, and business with a quick fix. I’m not mad at Seamless, I’m more aware of my own faults, insecurities, and laziness than I was before. From my perspective, I feel that they make a good point, and I’m the one that may need to change, but Seamless will be there to support me along the way with $10 delivery in 30–40 minutes. ❤

All images taken by me. I am not affiliated with Seamless or the NYC MTA.