Dive Brief:

• Kraft Real Mayo has partnered with Juicy Couture to release a multi-channel campaign and fashion collaboration dubbed The Smooth Lover’s Collection, per information shared with Marketing Dive. 
• Channeling millennial nostalgia, the collection features a mayo-themed velour tracksuit from Juicy Couture , a brand that saw peak interest in the early 2000s. The campaign consists of out-of-home (OOH), social media and influencer activations, including paparazzi-style photos and videos.
• The tie-up follows other playful efforts by the Kraft Heinz brand to highlight its mayonnaise offering and is the second condiment-based clothing line in recent months, a nod to growing consumer interest in luxury goods. 

Dive Insight:

Kraft Heinz and its condiment brands have been leaning into playful campaigns this year, so it may not be shocking that its latest tie-up with Juicy Couture is actually the company’s second condiment-based fashion collaboration as of late. In August, Heinz partnered with clothing resale platform ThredUP for a line of thrifted clothes with a ketchup stain, a move meant to appeal to Gen Z and millennial interest in sustainability.

With its partnership with Juicy Couture, Kraft Heinz now seems to be nodding to a growing interest among younger consumers in purchasing luxury items, a shift that today sees Gen Z and millennials more likely to buy such goods over Gen X and baby boomers. The Kraft Real Mayo Smooth Lovers Collection includes a deep blue velour tracksuit with the word “Smooth” taking the usual place of “Juicy” on the back of the pants. The jacket reads “Long Live Velvety,” and a white tube top reads “Mayo Couture,” with the wording on each piece bedazzled. To pair with the outfit, Juicy Couture will also offer a limited-edition, limited-quantity “tube top” to dress up a jar of Kraft Real Mayo, which is also included. The outfit, which sells for a combined total of $150, launched today (Nov. 1) for pre-order at a designated landing page. Additional inventory will drop on Nov. 4.

The velour tracksuit is meant to allude to the smoothness of Kraft Real Mayo, which is whipped 3,000 times, per press materials. Additionally, the collection is meant to satisfy millennial and Gen Z interest in nostalgia, with #nostalgia having seen over 50 billion views on TikTok. To promote the outfit, the two brands looked to paparazzi-style photos and videos meant to highlight Juicy’s rise to popularity.

Media support includes an interactive billboard in Los Angeles at The Grove and social media activations encouraging consumers to tag #MayoCouture as they wear the tracksuit. The two brands will also leverage food and fashion influencer partnerships and an editorial tie-in with Nylon and Elite Daily, which will share paparazzi-inspired videos to promote the collection. 

“Kraft Real Mayo and Juicy Couture are both synonymous with being champions of those who revel in their individuality and are unafraid to stand up for what they love, making this partnership a match made in velvety heaven,” said Frances Sabatier, brand manager for Kraft Real Mayo at the Kraft Heinz Company in a press statement.

The individuality push follows another recent effort by Kraft Heinz for its “Mayo Rituals” campaign that debuted in August and looked to celebrate the less-traditional ways consumers enjoy mayonnaise with the tagline, “Let Your Mayo Freak Flag Fly.” These efforts are the brand’s latest under its “Mayo of Mayonnaise” platform developed with Wieden + Kennedy New York to champion individuality.