The team at Kraft Heinz Canada are putting their Monet where their mouths are, encouraging fans to examine the subjective nature of art and commerce.
To celebrate World Art Day, KD is rendering great works like Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and Botticelli’s Venus through a time-honoured medium familiar to many kids and kids-at-heart: macaroni art. The goal is a celebration of the occasion that also puts Kraft Dinner front and centre.
“KD is always looking for new ways to approach trends and engage fans with its unmistakably cheesy experience. This means hacking relevant cultural moments in unexpected yet ownable ways,” explains Jerome Skeene, brand manager for Kraft Dinner. “Participating in World Art Day only made sense for an iconic Canadian brand like KD that’s known for taking risks. It gave us an opportunity to latch onto a global moment and create a one-of-a-kind experience for noodle lovers.”
Of course, such works – or “macsterpieces,” as Kraft Heinz calls its recreations – are rarely celebrated in the world of fine art. But to prove art critics, insiders and establishments wrong, the cheesy noodle brand commissioned the mosaic artist Jason Mecier to create a thirty-thousand-noodle macaroni magnum opus made to remind the world that “mac art is real art” – or, at least, on par with Dogs Playing Pool.
“When we realized so many other nostalgic art forms have been displayed as legitimate art in museums and galleries, we saw an opportunity to prove people wrong,” says Skeene. “We feel that it’s time our beloved noodles receive the adoration and respect they deserve.”
Mecier’s “Macsterpiece” (pictured at right) was revealed via Instagram on Saturday, but the brand built a full campaign out of that reveal, with contextually relevant OOH noodle artwork postings erected near prominent Toronto museums and galleries such as the Art Gallery of Ontario and OCAD.
A series of social posts featuring real responses from many of the world’s top galleries and museums were also shared on Instagram that showcased the lack of respect and esteem for mac art, and the absence of the medium in their collections.
The campaign is being extended through additional social posts, including a “Making of the Macsterpiece” Q&A with the artist, Jason Mecier, as well as a social giveaway where Canadians will have a chance to get their hands on a limited edition noodle art sleeve. Each sleeve will serve as a blank canvas for noodle enthusiasts to create their own macsterpiece.
“Knowing how creative KD fans can be, we’re hoping they have fun with this and drive engagement by sharing some unique concepts for the next macsterpiece,” says Skeene.
The brand’s AORs managed the campaign. Creative and social production was developed by The Kitchen, with Carat on media and Middle Child on PR.
