Kraft mac & cheese is comfort food for grown ups in new ads

A new campaign from Kraft switches the focus for its ubiquitous mac & cheese from feeding kids to feeding spirits. “Help Yourself,” which debuts today, expands beyond the family dinner table with an emotional appeal to embrace the “comfort” inherent in “comfort food.” The campaign from Johannes Leonardo includes a new commercial and creative artwork that will be featured on television and social channels. In the debut commercial, “Skip,” a consumer enjoys a bowl of microwaved mac & cheese, then skips through the streets of the city, inspiring those he passes by. Whimsical artwork in the "Help Yourself" campaign emphasizes a message around the product as a source of uplifting comfort, showing a character with noodles for legs and a wide smile holding a bowl aloft with the phrase "So that's why it's called a 'helping.'" Another shows a noodle-armed roller skater with the phrase "Feeling good inside shows on the outside." Kraft sells more than 1 million boxes of mac & cheese every day. It has traditionally been marketed as a convenient meal solution for families with kids, although some recent campaigns have taken an edgier approach, including the short-lived “Send Noods” campaign from Mischief @ No Fixed Address a year ago that drew some consumer backlash along with viral interest. Most recently, Kraft had been focusing consumer attention on product innovations like flavor boost packets available early to its online fan club members. The “Help Yourself” campaign is part of what the company called a “digital revolution marketing pilot” to run agile tests with different audiences with a goal of improving the efficiency and relevance of its advertising with different audiences. In an effort to amplify its message, the brand is asking TikTok users to “duet” the "Skip" spot through a #SkipChallenge. Kraft Heinz is in the midst of a companywide plan to boost marketing muscle and refresh its product portfolio. Its advertising spend through the first three quarters of its fiscal year was up by 9%, officials said in a recent conference call. Earlier this month, Kraft Heinz rolled out a new look and campaign for its Velveeta brand, also from Johannes Leonardo. The same shop is also at work on the company’s Kraft Singles and Oscar Mayer portfolios.

Kraft mac & cheese is comfort food for grown ups in new ads

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