Kroger holiday campaign — with produce cameo — inspires multicultural mealtime gathering
The Kroger Co. has found a recipe for animated holiday success with its recently released film campaign that encourages consumers to “Bring a new recipe to the table.”
Take the emotional storyline of a childless couple reminiscent of Disney’s “Up,” the global sentiment of Coca Cola’s 1971 “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” TV spot and add a healthy dose of modern food-as-medicine mentality, and you’ve got a compelling — and tear-jerking — call to action to gather around the table this holiday season.
Developed by Kroger's Agency of Record, adam&eveDDB New York, the Cincinnati-based grocer’s newly released holiday campaign celebrating the magic of traditions, serves as a reminder that Kroger supports its customers during the holidays, no matter what traditions — or flavors — they bring to the table, according to a news release.
"Kroger knows the importance of family and togetherness and is here to ensure every family can celebrate the traditions that make the festive season richer and more inviting for everyone," Stuart Aitken, Kroger's senior vice president, chief merchant and marketing officer, said in the release. "Food connects us all, regardless of who we are or where we're from.
“This holiday season, Kroger is making it easy for customers to connect over food and create memories in a way that is meaningful to them,” Aitken continued. “Whether honoring lifelong family traditions or creating new ones, no one can connect customers with the foods they love the way Kroger can. This year's film recognizes the importance of family and togetherness and how special it can be to come together over food and create shared memories."
The new campaign is headlined by a film that brings to life the unique celebrations each family has during the holidays, with food at the center, the release said. Titled, "Cuisine Exchange," the film sees the return of the brand's animated Kroji characters for a heartfelt narrative set to the popular track of "Photograph" by internationally renowned recording artist Ed Sheeran.
The film tells the story of a childless couple who decide to host an exchange student. Enamored by the connective power of food, the couple continue to host exchange students from countries around the world year after year. The story culminates in a heartfelt reunion where all the students and their various meal-time traditions are welcomed home for the holidays.
"Kroger knows that every family celebrates the holidays differently,” Jason Ashlock and Paulo Junger, executive creative directors at adam&eveDDB New York, said in the release. “We wanted to welcome all kinds of traditions to the table. That's what made the idea of a cuisine exchange such a natural fit for the brand. Food truly does connect us all. It was gratifying to see that message come to life with such a high-level of animation craft. We couldn't be happier to continue Kroger's new tradition of heartfelt holiday commercials."
To complement the film, Kroger is rolling out a Holiday Remix playlist across retail locations nationwide, the release said. The playlist will be hosted on Spotify and feature classic holiday songs, recorded in a variety of languages.
Kroger's cuisine exchange will continue across its social channels through its "Holiday Table" program, hosted by a yet-to-be-announced TikTok creator and additional well-known guests, the release said.
In the program, created in collaboration with Dentsu Creative, special guests will connect with people from across the U.S., sharing in culture and community through personal recipes that will be made available to viewers. The program is targeted to launch in mid-November.
The new national campaign will appear on Netflix, cable, streaming and internet with extensions across radio, podcast and social media. It will run Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.
Related link: View the 2023 holiday film
