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Kraft Campaign Links Social Media and Promo Products

Kraft Heinz is congratulating customers on passing a taste test that they weren’t even aware they were a part of.

The company is giving away boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese, t-shirts, and branded pillows shaped like Kraft’s curved macaroni noodle to people who post the hashtag #didntnotice in response to the change in Kraft Mac & Cheese’s recipe.

Since December, boxes of the macaroni and cheese have contained new ingredients: artificial preservatives and dyes were swapped out for a combination of paprika, annatto and turmeric. When Kraft announced last April that a new, healthier version of macaroni and cheese would be coming, some people took to social media to complain about the change in flavor.

However, Kraft had yet to introduce the new recipe to shelves.

Worried that customers would revolt regardless of the taste, Kraft simply shipped the new boxes without telling the public. Only folks with a keen eye on the ingredients listed would detect the difference.

On March 7, the test ended and Kraft revealed the results. “Moms, kids and even dogs tried the new recipe without detecting a difference,” the company said in a press release. “We’d invite Americans to try our new recipe,” said Greg Guidotti, vice president of meals at Kraft Heinz, “but they most likely already have.”

“It’s changed. But it hasn’t,” says former late-night television host Craig Kilborn in TV and online commercials promoting the new formula. The advertising initiative also includes digital display ads, print ads in 20 magazines, an online documentary-style look at the change, and promotions through Pandora online radio, Snapchat and ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

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