The iconic Campbell’s soup can has stayed on consumers’ minds since the days of Andy Warhol, but now, a new campaign in partnership with Zulu Alpha Kilo is reimagining what the image might have looked like throughout history — according to modern tools.
Campbell’s pAIntings aims to blend old and new, and the campaign has taken form as generative AI images of the Campbell’s soup can depicted through a variety of artistic painting styles spanning the ages. Think oil paintings and still life instead of Warhol-esque reproductions.
Campbell Company of Canada senior manager of marketing communications Nadia Giannantonio says the campaign’s goal is to give the brand a refresh while remaining true to its roots.
“The Campbell’s brand is associated with positive nostalgic feelings, which is powerful, but we also wanted to create associations with being a brand of the present and into the future,” she says. “Our goal was to renew the iconic status of the can in a way, leveraging today’s trends to help us connect with a younger audience, and still be inclusive to our current buyer.”
In partnership with Zulu Alpha Kilo, the campaign was guided by social media trends and societal conversations.
“We learned through social listening that art styles of the past are still quite popular within social platforms,” says Brian Murray, chief creative officer at Zulu Alpha Kilo. “At the same time, AI is an important topic in popular culture. We knew showcasing the creative potential of AI would be appealing and engaging.”
With the intention of reconnecting Campbell’s with creativity in the digital age, the campaign encourages consumers to imagine how the classic image might have looked throughout history, but through a lens that they know all too well: that sometimes AI can be unreliable. For
this reason, consumers might spot the odd typo on soup can labels.
Campbell’s pAIntings will debut on social media and OOH this week. On Instagram, Campbell’s will transform its page into a virtual gallery that will feature more than a dozen AI-generated images. Meanwhile, transit shelters will house the images, inviting walkers by to take in unique street art.
“This is a focused campaign within Canada, targeting millennials, with a skew to those interested in arts and culture,” Giannantonio says. “They are familiar with and have latent nostalgic feelings for the brand and we want to continue that relevancy and inspiration today and into the future.”
Zulu Alpha Kilo was the creative partner for Campbell’s pAIntings, while its paid media partner was Spark Foundry, and spPR handled PR outreach and earned media.
