Since the 1970s, Rao’s has been one of New York City’s most exclusive restaurants, patronized by the famous and infamous alike. In the early ‘90s, the Harlem institution turned its marinara sauce into a regional retail brand. And in the last few years, Rao’s Homemade has been taken on a “rocketship,” explained Alan Creveling, vice president of marketing at Campbell’s Distinctive Brands, which oversees the brand.

“Over the last six to eight years, [Rao’s has] really grown leaps and bounds. It's going to be a billion dollars in sales. We're number one in market share in the category, and we're doing it with a younger audience,” the executive said.

Along with its sales success, Rao’s has seen its sauce become a part of the pop culture zeitgeist on social media and its profile rise after the $2.7 billion acquisition of parent company Sovos Brands by the Campbell Soup Company in March 2024. 

Still, only about 65% of consumers are aware of the brand, giving it room to grow through marketing. Rao’s awareness-focused media spend puts the brand on national TV during NFL and college football broadcasts. As brands increasingly turn to live sports, especially football, to make an impact, Rao’s is looking to breakthrough creatively with a new campaign that debuts on Nov. 2 during a highly anticipated matchup between Penn State and Ohio State. The effort was created with agency BSSP.

“The look and feel are going to be completely different than things we've done in the past, but it's true to who we are as a brand, true to our delicious ingredients and true to our Italian roots, and that's going to be the real differentiator with this advertising,” Creveling said.

Three 15-second spots viewed by Marketing Dive focus on the ingredients, heritage and craftsmanship that set Rao’s apart from the pack. The campaign will run on broadcast, connected TV, online video, social media and digital out-of-home channels.

Floating on the airwaves

While football dominates broadcast TV viewership, a few non-pigskin events still have the cultural cachet to breakthrough, like the State of the Union address, the Academy Awards and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. With that in mind, Rao’s will make its parade debut later this month with its own float, an experience Creveling described as “humbling, but also really exciting.” 

“I've never designed a float. I have no idea how to do that,” the executive said. “The first thought people have is, ‘Oh, you should just put your jar on a float.’ Okay, I would like that. But [Macy’s] needs to tell a story in less than 90 seconds about what's going on here.”

After almost a year-long process from concept to execution, Rao’s and Macy’s on Thanksgiving will introduce the Pasta Knight, punning off a tradition shared by 86% of all U.S. households, Creveling said. The Knight is covered in bronze, die-cut pasta “armor” and bears a cheese grater shield as he battles a dragon, with a surprise element that Creveling said, to borrow Gen Z and millennial slang, “is going to be fire.”

“It's just taking an idea that everyone knows and just making a creative piece that can bring people's imaginations out in a real bright environment,” the executive said.

Joining the family

Fans of Rao’s sauces have nothing to worry about with the brand’s acquisition by Campbell Soup: The company is not changing the sauce recipe. But the deal is expected to help the brand accelerate its growth on the path it has charted for years.

“There is a recognition from the Campbell side that we want to make sure this thing is running like it's been running — we don't want to get too involved, unless we need to,” Creveling said of the deal. “There's been an autonomy throughout this entire process that has led to really good work, and as we talk, we get best practices and we can make it even better.”

That will likely impact Rao’s marketing, a function that the executive has overseen since before Campbell Soup acquired Sovos.

“We're very proud of the work we've done… but Campbell's gives us access to so many more resources when it comes to the insights game — to numbers, to how we can reach new audiences — and really can take us to the level that we need to go,” Creveling said.