Kraft Heinz - Bringing the Funny to Flexitarianism

Intro

Heinz has been a cupboard staple for decades, but their heritage had created a traditional perception amongst younger audiences. Our challenge was to reposition their diverse range of plant-based products to be more prominent in people's minds when making daily food choices.

By creating "Flex Kitchen," an innovative short-form comedy series in partnership with Channel 4, we breathed new life into Heinz's plant-based foods. The campaign successfully connected with a younger flexitarian audience through humour and entertainment, delivering impressive results across awareness, perception, and sales metrics.

The Challenge

Heinz needed to:

• Drive fame for their plant-based product range
• Bring modernity to the brand to make it feel more current
• Widen appeal to a younger audience (16-35)
• Establish their vegan mayo offering as a serious challenger in the category

With a growing focus on plant-based diets among younger audiences, we saw an opportunity to connect with the 18-35 demographic and grow interest in the brand outside of their 45+ heartland.

Insight

Our research revealed three key insights that shaped our approach:

1. Sales data showed that 16-35s were more likely to try and switch to Heinz Mayo, presenting an opportunity to extend appeal to a younger, flexitarian audience
2. For our target audience, content was king—particularly snackable, entertaining content that could be consumed across multiple platforms
3. Historically, the plant-based narrative had been humourless. By adding comedy to the mix, we could differentiate Heinz from competitors and create a more engaging experience

Strategy

We developed a strategy centred around creating entertaining content that would appeal to younger audiences while showcasing Heinz's plant-based credentials:

1. Partner with a platform that had credibility with our target audience and access to diverse comedy talent
2. Create short-form, cross-platform content designed specifically for young people, featuring comedians "flexing" their favourite dishes into plant-based alternatives
3. Deploy the content across the full spectrum of channels our audience consumes, with a particular focus on digital platforms

Execution, Solution and Innovation

We created "Flex Kitchen," a short-form, cross-platform food programme with comedy talent at its heart:

• Partner Selection: Channel 4 was selected as our partner due to their strong credibility among our target audience and their roster of diverse comedy talent. The programme featured comedians such as Alex Brooker, Kerry Godliman, and Phil Wang.
• Content Format: A series of five episodes, seasonally planned, where talent was challenged to "flex" their favourite dishes into plant-based friendly alternatives.
• Distribution Strategy: We built a multi-channel distribution plan:
• • A curated linear TV plan focused on programming our audience loved (Gogglebox, Naked Attraction, First Dates)
  • Supporting BVOD with key spots in relevant programming
  • YouTube and Social promotion to drive views
  • Integrated planning across formats on All 4's website
• Inclusive Representation: Knowing our audience values diversity and inclusion, we built a series that represented several different communities through our talent partnerships.

Result and Business Effect

Flex Kitchen delivered exceptional results across all our objectives:

1. Driving Fame:
2. • Most watched branded content on All 4 in 2022
   • 23 million views and 3.5 million impressions on All 4 alone
   • 37% uplift in awareness
2. Modernising Brand Perception:
3. • Shifted consumer perceptions with audiences noting "this made Heinz seem more modern"
   • 69% of viewers enjoyed the content and wanted to see more of this type of activity
3. Content Engagement:
4. • Exceeded minutes watched benchmark by 265%
   • 3.7 million minutes watched across five episodes
   • 14 million additional views across social channels
4. Reaching Flexitarians:
5. • Successfully connected with the typically elusive 16-34 audience
   • Demonstrated that the right content strategy can engage hard-to-reach demographics

The campaign proved that innovative branded content, when executed with the right partners and talent, can transform perceptions and drive significant engagement with younger audiences.