Parents: This Kraft Ad Will Make You Cry

Kraft wants parents to know that striving for perfection is overrated -- and its new ad aims to prove that in tear-jerking fashion. In an effort to become more relevant with today's families, Kraft is breaking a new campaign themed "Family Greatly" that will include more unified packaging and ads starring real families rather than professional actors. (Family, apparently, has become a verb.) The push supports Kraft-branded items rather than the broader Kraft Heinz Co. portfolio that includes brands such as Heinz, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia and Planters. The "Family Greatly" message from the ads will appear on Kraft branded items including Kraft Singles, cheese, macaroni and cheese, dressing, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce. An online video begins running Tuesday to kick off the effort. (Fair warning: some viewers, particularly frustrated parents, might want to watch this one while clutching a couple of tissues.) Kraft's research showed about 80 percent of parents feel pressure to be perfect, while about 80 percent of kids want parents who are great rather than perfect. So, the brand behind many pantry and fridge staples is kicking off a #FamilyGreatly message. "There's no one perfect way to family," says Anne Field, director of brand building for Kraft. "As long as you're doing it with love and conviction, we support how you family." The effort comes from Leo Burnett, which has worked on Kraft cheese marketing for years. Field says some parents who work for Kraft will also act as community managers to connect with people who are engaging with the content online. The majority of both parents (80 percent) and kids (78 percent) surveyed said they believe mealtime brings their families closer together, according to a poll of 1,000 parents and 1,000 children fielded in late November by Toluna for Kraft. Kraft will lean more on the blue hue some products regularly feature, like Kraft macaroni and cheese, giving Kraft-branded items a more unified look. The brand is also working on using a blue dish as an asset to develop over time as a way to symbolically unite the portfolio, Field says. Products will continue to be advertised separately within the overarching "family greatly" idea. Right now there aren't ads, say, showing a family around the table with a variety of Kraft products, such as a salad with Kraft dressing served alongside a bowl of mac and cheese. A campaign for Kraft cheese set to run in 2018 will feature real families, says Field. The plan is "intended to hang together and feel like they're coming from the same brand, executionally and strategically," says Field. Of course, it's not the first time Kraft has focused on modern family life. Earlier this year its mac and cheese brand tried to help moms feel better about swearing in front of their children.

Parents: This Kraft Ad Will Make You Cry

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