New KRAFT your summer Commercials to Feature Figure Skating Champion Michelle Kwan and Dancer Savion Glover
NORTHFIELD, Ill. – June 1, 2006 – To capitalize on the prime summer selling season and encourage consumers to rely on KRAFT branded products to spark mealtime inspiration, Kraft Foods is announcing a creative and contemporary marketing campaign. Three trusted summertime brands - KRAFT Mayonnaise, KRAFT Salad Dressings and KRAFT Barbecue Sauce – are teaming to present a fully integrated KRAFT your summer initiative utilizing broadcast, print, in-store, online and direct mail elements. The goal of the new KRAFT your summer campaign is to show consumers just how easy it is to “Kraft” everyday meals into extraordinary ones.
For assistance, Kraft is turning to two inspiring celebrities well-known for their creativity and artistry – Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, and Savion Glover, a Tony award winning dancer and choreographer – to star in two of the campaign’s three commercials.
“This campaign enables us to showcase multiple KRAFT products with a contemporary, creative approach,” said Peter Nowlan, Vice President, Marketing, Kraft Foods. “We want to encourage our consumers to express their ingenuity in the kitchen by giving them inspirational food ideas to develop their own creations. Michelle and Savion are known for their creativity and are ideal partners to motivate consumers to create simple, yet personalized, meals.”
Kwan, a nine-time U.S. National Champion, five-time World Champion and two-time Olympic medalist, is an inspired choice to grace a commercial where she taps into her creative side to invent a unique and tasty salad.
“I love salads, so I am thrilled to work with Kraft to encourage others to use their imagination and creativity in the kitchen,” said Michelle Kwan. “Like so many others, I don’t always have time to create elaborate meals. So I just open my refrigerator, grab a few items, and just like that, I’ve created my own, personalized salad.”
Bringing the Campaign to Life
Kicking off in May, the KRAFT your summer campaign will expand across multiple media vehicles throughout the United States and Canada. The direction and creative was developed by mcgarrybowen. Other agencies involved in the effort include the Starcom MediaVest Group and 141worldwide.
“KRAFT your summer really taps into what matters most to consumers – time spent with family and friends,” said Nowlan. “The campaign encourages consumers to experiment with everyday ingredients to create unexpected and impressive meals that will delight the entire family. It also challenges consumers to become inventors in their kitchens and bend the rules. A handful of fresh blueberries in a salad - why not?”
The campaign is anchored by three commercials that will run nationally and regionally. The first commercial debuted May 15 and features a mother of twins who quickly pulls together a delectable salad with KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing while balancing one baby on her hip. Demonstrating that creativity can take any form, the child drops a monkey-shaped animal cracker into the salad to provide the perfect – and unexpected – twist.
Savion Glover will be featured in the second commercial beginning May 29. Glover whips up mini-sandwiches using KRAFT Mayonnaise and RITZ crackers.
Rounding out the trio is Kwan’s spot, which debuts June 12. KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing inspires Kwan, as she “skates” through the kitchen making a one-of-a-kind summer salad using a medley of ingredients she finds in her refrigerator.
The campaign extends to print, with a series of five different executions beginning to appear in June issues. The ads capture ordinary people reveling in life’s most precious moments, while highlighting how simple yet creative food can bring it all together. The print campaign is visually arresting with clean lines, warm and compelling imagery and sparse yet impactful copy.
Kraft also is delivering the campaign to consumers in-store. Retailers will feature campaign signage, along with special offers and meal idea cards. In select stores, unique produce stickers –literally stuck to watermelons and bags of lettuce – will feature ideas for KRAFT Salad Dressings, while floor graphics will showcase inspiring uses for KRAFT Barbecue Sauce.
Additionally, direct mail will play an important role in reaching consumers. Kraft’s food&family magazine, which is sent directly to more than 10 million consumers nationwide, will feature the print campaign and a special KRAFT your summer insert with coupon. Similar creative also will be replicated in comida y familia, the Spanish language version of the publication.
Finally, the elements of the print campaign will come to life online at www.kraftfoods.com, where consumers can find even more meal ideas.
“We’re proud to kick off summer with such a fresh and exciting campaign,” said Nowlan. “By helping families transform everyday ingredients into extraordinary meals, Kraft is helping families find inspiration in the simple things in life, like mealtime and spending quality time with friends and family.”
About Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods (NYSE:KFT) is the world's second-largest food and beverage company. For more than 100 years, we've been dedicated to helping people around the world eat and live better. Hundreds of millions of times a day, in more than 150 countries, consumers reach for their favorite Kraft brands including Kraft cheeses and dinners, Jacobs, Gevalia and Maxwell House coffees, Oscar Mayer meats, DiGiorno pizzas, Oreo cookies, Ritz and Wheat Thins crackers and chips, Philadelphia cream cheese, Milka and Côte d'Or chocolates, Honey Bunches of Oats cereals, Good Seasons salad dressings and Tang refreshment beverage. They've also started adding our Tassimo hot beverage system, South Beach Diet line and a growing range of better-for-you Sensible Solution products to their shopping baskets, continually expanding their list of Kraft favorites.
Contacts:
Lisa Gibbons
Kraft Foods
(847) 646-6268
lisa.gibbons@kraft.com
Joanmarie Smith
Stacy Becker
Coyne PR
973-316-1665
jsmith@coynepr.com