Ore-Ida is the latest Kraft Heinz brand to get a creative overhaul in the last three years, following Jell-O, Kraft Singles, Velveeta, Kraft Mac & Cheese and Lunchables. The facelifts come as shoppers are about to feel even more squeezed coming into the end of the year, with budgets shrinking due to student loan repayments, high food costs and holiday expenses.
“Kraft Heinz is in the midst of a transformation,” Neumann said. “One of the pieces of that is redefining our creative ambition to break through and be relevant in culture.”
The new campaign will run on social media, digital, streaming TV and YouTube. Out-of-home creative is also in the works.
“There will be more work that comes out over time,” said Jan Jacobs, co-founder and creative chairman of Johannes Leonardo. “With out-of-home, we’ll also be pointing out what is predictable, like it’s raining again in Seattle.”
Jacobs also said that the creative’s costumes and backgrounds were all made or hand-painted without special effects.
Ore-Ida’s last campaign was its “Potato Pay” campaign in 2018, which encouraged using French fries to bribe picky kids to eat their vegetables.
Ore-Ida had more than $1 billion in retail sales in the 52 weeks ending the first week of September, according to Kraft Heinz. In 2019, Kraft Heinz considered selling the brand, CNBC reported at the time, noting that the brand could fetch $1.5 billion to $2 billion. In early 2022, Kraft Heinz struck a long-term deal with Boise, Idaho-based Simplot Food Group to become Ore-Ida’s exclusive manufacturer and supplier. In the announcement, the companies said the arrangement would lead to “world-class innovation and technology” and create “greater efficiencies through vertical integration.”