Inflation Cookbook

Read the campaign story

Inflation Cookbook was developed by Dentsu Creative Canada for SkipTheDishes and its Skip Express Lane proposition. It appears in the 2023 Applied Arts record, before later award recognition. The project used changing ingredient-price information as the basis for a digital grocery-planning tool. Rather than publishing a static list of cheap foods, it attempted to make current price conditions part of the planning experience.

The award sources describe tracking weekly fluctuations across multiple retailers and Canadian locations. They frame the aim as helping people adapt their choices under budget pressure. This study does not claim a particular household saving, nutritional improvement or continuing availability of the historical service. A price-led tool can be useful while still requiring scrutiny of its geographic coverage, data freshness and the costs excluded from its displayed comparisons.

Editorial interpretation: the creative move is to turn a financial anxiety into a sequence of choices that feels manageable. A headline about inflation describes a problem but leaves the next step unclear. A shopping aid can identify something the person can do today. This is a useful direction for service brands when they can contribute reliable information rather than simply associating themselves with an issue people already worry about.

Editorial interpretation: utility creates an ongoing obligation. An entertaining campaign can remain legible after launch, but a price tool becomes misleading when information goes stale. The brand has to consider updates, missing items, substitutions and the difference between ingredient cost and an actual basket. The apparent simplicity of the interface should not hide uncertainty. A trustworthy experience lets people see when, where and under what assumptions a recommendation was calculated.

Define the real decision before collecting data

Ask whether users are choosing ingredients, planning meals or comparing complete shopping baskets. Those are different tasks and require different information. A low unit price may still force someone to buy a larger pack than they need. Include quantities, likely leftovers and available alternatives where relevant. More data is not automatically better if it does not correspond to the decision being made.

Make freshness visible

Attach a checked date and location to price information. State what happens when an item is unavailable or the price changes at checkout. Avoid presenting a national average as a local offer. Build a clear fallback for missing data and assign someone responsibility for corrections. The usefulness of a dynamic campaign depends on that maintenance process as much as on its launch design.

Evaluate total cost and practical fit

Include mandatory fees and realistic quantities when comparing costs. Ask whether people can prepare the suggestion with their equipment, time and dietary requirements. If nutritional claims are made, obtain appropriate expert review rather than assuming that a cheaper ingredient mix is healthier. Evaluate the experience with people facing the actual constraint, not only colleagues who find the interface impressive.

A small test for another brief

Proposed test: a community food project could publish a manually checked weekly guide to a few affordable meals using prices from one clearly identified local shop.

Compare estimated basket cost with the actual checkout total and record unavailable items. Ask whether preparation was practical and whether leftovers were used. Report savings only against an explicit, like-for-like comparison.

Stop or correct the guide when prices are stale, allergens are unclear or the promised basket cannot be purchased. Do not present an automated suggestion as personalised dietary advice.

• Verify a small ingredient list and retain receipts or dated price records.
• Show portion assumptions, quantities, substitutions and any excluded household staples.
• Invite volunteers to try the guide without requiring income or health information.