2019 Winners & Shortlists

THE KRAFT COOKING CHALLENGE

BrandMONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL
Product/ServiceKRAFT
EntrantSPARK FOUNDRY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryFast Moving Consumer Goods
Idea Creation SPARK FOUNDRY Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Idea Creation 2 PUBLICIS MEDIA Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Production OLN Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Additional Company MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

Kraft wanted to break away from conventional advertising, and stand out from competition by creating a live cooking show from scratch that invited viewer participation. As part of the show mechanics, contestants depended on online viewers’ votes to help their chances of winning the Kraft chef title and prize. Kraft piloted a strategy to deliver on the brand purpose while connecting with consumers in a unique way, by making them heroes of the brand.We Created an outlet for our audience to bring to life their culinary creativity and passion for food to bolster Kraft’s cooking credentials.

Background

Kraft cheese has been in the GCC for over a century. That’s a long time. So long, in fact, that as of last year, most of our consumers considered Kraft an ‘old’, ‘outdated’ and ‘traditional’ brand. What’s worse, that started to take a toll on our sales. A consumer insights study revealed that shoppers were unaware of Kraft’s cooking portfolio (our shreds, slices, creamy spreads, and cans). That, along with the brand perception issue, meant that they saw little reason to buy Kraft. Clearly, it was time to rejuvenate the brand’s image

Describe the creative idea.

We needed something big to stand out. Rather than feature as one of several sponsors on a TV show, we created our own bespoke cooking programme, purely catered to Kraft: The Kraft Challenge. We partnered with Justfood.tv, and developed a format where four aspiring chefs were challenged to craft various types of dishes, all including Kraft cheese. The show was hosted by popular celebrity chef Hala Ayash to add credibility to Kraft’s cooking claims. The winner of the show would walk away with a private week-long course at the Cordon Bleu institute in Paris. We streamed our episodes via Facebook live to encourage longer viewership and lend an element of real-time excitement. To entice users to tune in week after week, we placed the fate of the contestants in their hands: each episode, users voted for their ‘fan favorite’ to help them win.

Describe the strategy.

We launched the challenge before Ramadan to establish Kraft’s awareness ahead of this season for the brand. Our strategy mirrored our target audience’s media behavior and content preferences. 20-40-year-old females in KSA are the greatest volume contributors to Kraft’s business, and often seek food inspiration online. A study revealed that over a third follow celebrity chefs online, so we recruited Chef Hala Ayash to host the show. Seeing as our audience was accustomed to online video, Facebook live was the optimal touchpoint to connect with them. We partnered with JustFood.tv to leverage both their production and their regional digital footprint; they produced the episodes, and also published them on their own widely-followed social channels. Our aim was to build a platform with the potential for longevity, something we could revisit year after year. Kraft Challenge fulfilled the objective to reposition Kraft as an unmissable ingredient in any housewife’s arsenal.

Describe the execution

On April 1st, Chef Hala issued a call for submissions to her 160,000 Instagram followers and the floodgates opened. Kraft invited social users in the GCC to submit videos presenting a unique cheesy recipe of their creation. Over 400 submissions poured in – in just two weeks! Following a vetting process, four contestants were selected, and the Kraft Challenge kicked off where each episode provided a unique challenge to the contestants. Over the course of the seven weeks, viewers formed a connection with the contestants, returning weekly to vote for their fan favorite. Teasers deployed on Instagram drove interest and views on Facebook, and a push notification reminded users to tune in ahead of every episode going live. We also maximized Chef Hala’s considerable social footprint via inviting participation on her own channels. Social engagement, celebrity endorsement, and mouth-watering content created a recipe for success.

List the results.

We were flooded with an astounding volume of social engagement and interaction, demonstrating a highly engaged and invested audience. Kraft received an overwhelming volume of positive response, with social engagement rocketing by 32%, and Kraft was the second-most followed cheese brand on social media that Ramadan. As Ipsos study revealed that 78% of respondents claimed that the campaign made Kraft more appealing to them. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding: following the campaign, Kraft’s sales grew by 5% in KSA. In short, we can safely say that we rose to this –Kraft– Challenge. Too Cheesy? Well, in our books, that’s a good thing.

Credits

Name Company Role
Rudolf Jabre Online Lifestyle Network CEO
Links
Social Media URL