Velveeta unveils cheese-inspired hair dye with Julia Fox

Dive Brief:

Kraft Heinz brand Velveeta today (April 1) has unveiled its first-ever hair dye, Velveeta Gold, a semi-permanent hair color inspired by the yellow hue of its cheese, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The limited-time offering is meant to inspire boldness and self-expression.
To debut the product, the brand teamed with actress Julia Fox, who sported the color at a New York Knicks game on Sunday. The color is available while supplies last on Amazon and retails for $7.50, the same price as a Velveeta cheese block.
The effort, which was handled with Johannes Leonardo, is tied to the brand’s “La Dolce Velveeta” platform launched in 2021. The move follows a handful of similar quirky product innovations and creative swings by the brand and its parent company.

Dive Insight:

Kraft Heinz’s Velveeta is stepping into new territory with its Velveeta Gold semi-permanent hair dye, an offering inspired by its melty cheese product meant to evoke feelings of boldness and self-expression. The quirky stunt — which is said not to be tied to April Fool’s Day — is part of the brand’s “La Dolce Velveeta” creative platform, which was launched in 2021 to encourage consumers to unapologetically indulge with the things they love most.

The Velveeta Gold hair dye comes in a 4-ounce jar and became available for purchase today at 6am E.T. on Amazon, retailing for $7.50 while supplies last. To unveil the offering, the brand tapped Fox, known for being a bold trendsetter, who sported the look courtside at a Knicks game in New York City.

“La Dolce Velveeta is a lifestyle — always confident and forever in service of living by your own rules,” said Stephanie Vance, brand manager for Velveeta, in release details. “We are always looking for new ways to help fans live La Dolce Velveeta and hair was the perfect place for us to invite pleasure seekers to proudly express themselves and show off their unique style and individuality.”

Other creative swings under the “La Dolce Velveeta” platform, which was also launched with a brand refresh, have included a number of playful spots and odd innovations that include its own take on the classic martini and a tie-up with confectioner Compartés Chocolatier for a limited-time chocolate and cheese truffle.

The four-ounce jar that Velveeta is packaged in is enough to cover a head of short hair, per release details. To use it, consumers should apply the product thoroughly to dry hair and allow it to process for 20 minutes before rinsing it out with a mild shampoo. Velveeta is encouraging consumers to share their experience by tagging the brand on Instagram and TikTok and using the hashtag #LaDolceVelveeta.

The latest move from Velveeta also embodies a marketing strategy from parent company Kraft Heinz often rooted in creative swings. For instance, Lunchables, another brand under its purview, recently launched a campaign pitting kids’ imaginations against artificial intelligence to promote its Dunkables offering. Last fall, Kraft Real Mayo rallied to have Merriam-Webster name “moist” its Word of the Year, enlisting fans’ help to boost the maligned term in search engine rankings. Supported by Kraft Heinz’s largest paid media investment to date, Heinz last summer launched its first unified global brand platform to honor “irrational” fan love.