In other words, food means Heinz. The Kraft Heinz brand is deeply ingrained in the world of home cooking, with its products becoming essential pieces of kitchen furniture. Ketchup in the fridge (and in the cupboard if you're feeling weird), Philadelphia cream cheese on sandwiches, Kool-Aid in the kids' lunch boxes, Lee & Perrins Worcestershire sauce in the pantry, and of course, all over the house. Contains melted craft singles. cheeseburger. These are brands and products that have become deeply ingrained in our daily lives. Still, there's nothing mundane or mundane about the creative output from The Kitchen, Kraft Heinz's exclusive in-house institution.
“At The Kitchen, we focus on a simple human truth: we are all wired to connect,” agency director Tom Evans told LBB told. “We connect brands and consumers in meaningful ways, in the right places. When we take an iconic brand and embed its presence into multiple layers of culture, sometimes in unusual or absurd ways, It creates memorable moments that people talk about and want to be a part of.”
This philosophy explains much of the company's success. Many Kraft Heinz brands are household names, but each has built and maintained its reputation by surprising and delighting audiences. It's an attitude understood by The Kitchen, and it gives each Kraft Heinz brand a distinctive tone that is often playful, sometimes irreverent, but always positive and uplifting. .
“We're working where mass advertising isn't enough,” Tom explains. “We meet brands' target audiences where it matters, building authentic relationships and broadening the palates of those around us. We don't make noise, we create meaningful and impactful experiences for brands and their consumers. We are doing something powerful.”
In some cases, that includes creating something that, in the agency leader's own words, “wows the lawyers.” However, the most important goal of genuine connection takes precedence. As an example, Tom points to The Kitchen's recent work with Kraft Real Mayonnaise.
“I took on the challenge of making 'moist' delicious again. Oh, you heard me right – moist,” he laughed. “We rallied the internet and did everything in our power to make Merriam-Webster the Word of the Year. We launched a grassroots campaign to permeate the digital world with our message. Just in case, we placed an 8-foot mayonnaise jar outside Merriam-Webster's headquarters. ”
Tragically, 'moist' was not chosen as the word of the year, but Tom and the team at The Kitchen still look back on the campaign with justifiable pride. “We've certainly made a huge change in the way people view 'moist' online,” he says. “Talk about the victory that has brought him over 381 million impressions and increased his Google searches for ‘moist’ by 75%.” This has led to a surge in engagement and conversation about the product. .
The “Moist” campaign is one of many examples of The Kitchen tapping into the zeitgeist and riding the crest of a cultural wave at just the right time to achieve a hit-through. As Tom goes on to explain, that's no coincidence.
“The Kraft Heinz brand is looking to reach a younger demographic, and that’s where The Kitchen comes in,” he says. “We want to work harder than ever to connect with this audience. Our team is committed to providing attention-grabbing and engaging content that is full of humor and wit. We have Gen Z to help. That’s how we help our brands shine in a sea of competition.”
no kidding. Early last year, the company garnered significant coverage in mainstream earned media for its Cannes Lions award-winning #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy campaign.
“When we learned that Dominican sailor Elvis Francois was found adrift at sea after surviving 24 days on nothing but ketchup, Heinz wanted to reward him for his ordeal.” Tom speaks. “But there was one problem: I couldn't find him.”
To aid in the company's search, The Kitchen launched #FindTheKetchupBoatGuy, asking for the internet's help in tracking down Elvis. And nearly 25,000 news articles appeared on CNN, CBS, USA Today, and more. Heinz then found a captain who loved seasonings and rewarded him with a new boat.
Once again, the quirks of human storytelling shine through, playful, uplifting, and captivating. This is a universal approach and can sometimes lead to unexpected results. Like when an agency showed up on his Roblox to weigh in on a player's request to bring back the game's legendary “bacon hair,” which was removed in an update.
“Oscar Mayer, the American bacon lover, saved the day,” Tom recalls. “We knew we had to show our support and rally the troops, so we wanted to give our disgruntled fans a way to express their love for bacon hair and bring back bacon hair to the game.” I made a plan to tell Roblox.”
Incredibly, this campaign magically worked. “We worked with Lana Rae, a big name in the Roblox streaming scene, to help spread the word and gain fans,” Tom says. “Fans flocked to our filters to show off their bacon pride and send a clear message to Roblox. It was a bacon-filled revolution, and we were right on the cusp of it.”
All of these examples help explain its uncanny ability to tune into the mood of its audience. Above all, that's what makes both The Kitchen's work and Kraft Heinz's products meaningful. It also requires a level of agility and speed, which, as Tom points out, is more natural for an internal agency. “The autonomy and trust that comes with being an in-house agency and working with a brand partner is unparalleled,” he asserts. “This allows us to be agile, react to cultural moments without red tape, and make a meaningful impact on the business, which is much more difficult for external agencies.”
Whatever the exact recipe, the final product is indisputable. And Tom is happy to know that the sense of fun and creative experimentation that inspires advertising is felt within the team as well.
“The atmosphere is totally different here. We're all crazy about food and we really like each other,” he says. “Because there's no fighting in the kitchen!”
