Dive Brief:
- Kraft Heinz's frozen food line Devour debuted a 60-second "uncensored" commercial around the idea that its meals are so good, they're "frozen food porn," according to details shared with Marketing Dive. A 30-second cut of the clip will air during the Super Bowl's third quarter.
- Created by David Miami with social and digital activations by VaynerMedia, the video tells the story of a girlfriend who struggles with her boyfriend's "insatiable addiction to frozen food porn" and tries to lure him away from Devour with homemade meals and watching amateur food porn videos. Fans can follow the conversation on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook through the hashtag #DevourFoodPorn.
- Along with the full video, Devour is launching the 1-83-FOODPORN hotline, featuring seductive descriptions of the frozen meals and running through the big game on Feb. 3. The brand's partnership with Barstool Sports culminates with a Devour RV, called a "man cave on wheels," for Barstool personalities to take on the road to the game's host city Atlanta. Devour will sponsor Barstool's social media and podcast content leading up to the game, and will also host a sweepstakes to give 15 winners a branded freezer and year's supply of frozen meals, while one grand prize winner will receive the "ultimate man cave."
Dive Insight:
For its first-ever Super Bowl spot, Devour is tapping into the "food porn" trend that's popular with younger consumers, who enjoy snapping photos of their meals and posting them on social media. The hashtag #foodporn has been used more than 185 million times on Instagram photos showing elaborate meals, and 69% of millennials report taking a photo or video of their food before eating, research by Maru/Matchbox revealed. This signals that Devour's efforts to tap into this trend may strike the right chord with younger consumers on social media.
The humorous and lighthearted clip showing a couple dealing with food porn addiction will likely resonate with consumers and could help the three-year-old Devour stand out to grow brand awareness during one of the most-watched events of the year. With 30-second Super Bowl spots going for around $5 million this year, Devour is pairing the shorter in-game spot with digital and social interactions to broaden the campaign's reach to viewers who may be more accessible on platforms other than TV. The food porn hotline, Devour RV and sweepstakes should help the brand boost social media buzz and translate into increased sales and brand memorability.
The food porn commercial may be Devour's first in-game spot, but it's not its first push around the big game. While not present during last year's Super Bowl, Devour used a creative workaround to snag some attention around the big game through a contest to find a star for its "half-time commercial during the biggest football event of the year." Technically correct, a TV ad ran during the game's timeframe — but on a different cable network.
Edgy, provocative themes have been a fixture of Devour's marketing, kicking off with a campaign titled "Food You Want to Fork." Devour also partnered with "Deadpool 2" last year to promote its line of frozen sandwiches. In a 30-second spot, the film's main character rode a unicorn through a grocery store, where he encountered different characters, including a young girl critical of him selling out.
