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Who: Kraft Heinz with Rethink for creative and strategy; Frank Content for production; Nimiopere and Alter Ego for post-production; Sequence Group for animation; Grayson for English audio; Circonflex for French audio; ABMC and Zeno for PR; Carat for media.
What: “So Satisfying,” a social-led campaign for KD Cups from KD and Kraft Mac & Cheese (the Canada and U.S. names for the Kraft Heinz brand) targeting “Zillennials,” a cusp demographic that falls between Millennial and Generation Z. It is the first-ever North American creative campaign for both KD and Mac & Cheese.
When & Where: The Canadian campaign, shot in both English and French, includes several spots adapted for online video and social media (TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat).
Why: Consumers of and between the Millennial and Gen Z demographics are increasingly turning to social media for their information needs and, in many cases, prefer it to a Google search. Kraft Heinz wanted to meet the chronically online where they’re at by introducing a series of social posts that so closely mimic popular TikTok trends they blend into Millennial's “for you” pages rather than appearing like an ad.
“We know our audience prioritises authenticity and entertainment value in their content,” said KD senior brand manager Brooke Morrison in a release. “By drawing inspiration from popular social trends and creating assets designed to live authentically on the social channels Zillennials frequent, we’re aligning KD with the experiences and content they are craving while also reinforcing the delicious comfort of our Mac ‘N Cheese Cups.”
How: The various social videos draw inspiration from popular TikTok trends like ASMR videos and “sludge content,” a form of content that uses split-screens to pair users' clips with unrelated footage. According to the CBC, the media trend aims to engage users for longer periods by distracting them.
Kraft Heinz takes its own spin on the trend by pairing branded videos of video game footage, wood painting, and sand cutting—visual stimuli that befall a popular social media tag “oddly satisfying”—with fictional podcast videos in which the speakers discuss KD Cups.
One video, titled “Call Her Cheesy,” is a direct nod to the popular podcast series “Call Her Daddy” which has nearly 4 million followers on TikTok. Much like its inspiration, the fictional Kraft Heinz podcast episode features two female speakers discussing the nuance of a betrayal (seemingly a couple who may break up because the man has eaten their last KD Cup). It ends with the girls eating from their own KD Cup and realising that the man may not be at fault since the snack is “impossible to resist.” “I’d date him, I think,” says the blonde. Meanwhile, the bottom third of the screen shows a video of a paintbrush colouring a wood carving with KD’s signature colours.
Three additional spots, “Cheesy,” “Convenience,” and “Satisfaction,” mimic ASMR content by highlighting the sound of the KD Cup seal being torn off, the microwave buttons beeping, and the noodles being stirred.
"We know that Zillennials are not only craving snacks—they are craving snacks that provide moments of satisfaction and emotional comfort in their daily lives.,” explained Kraft Mac & Cheese brand manager Victoria Lee. “Sludge content and ASMR videos create both physical and emotional satisfaction, just like the brands’ cups, and, with both delivered in a 'snack size' format, the marriage of the two was a perfect creative fit."
And we quote: “People flock to TikTok to wind down, not to be interrupted. So co-opting one of the signature tropes of the platform felt right for landing the satisfying side of KD Cups. We’ve had a ton of fun crafting our sludge content and turning what could have been traditional spots into silly yet hardworking podcasts”—Lorne Heller and Justin, creative directors at ReThink.
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