Fifteen years ago, Lunchables disappeared from Canadian shelves without a word. Now, the Kraft Heinz snack brand is back with a campaign that says “Goodbye/Hello” to families across the country.

The campaign’s creative, devised by San Francisco-based Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, draws on nostalgia to appeal to consumers and parents looking for snack options for their children. The campaign, launched on April 3, centres on a 50-second video in which a Lunchables spokesperson says goodbye to Canadians and then announces the brand’s return to stores in the country.

Lunchables director of brand communications Samantha Mills tells strategy that, in the planning stage, the brand faced the challenge of finding a way to reintroduce its product and regain its place in households after many years of absence.

“We knew we wanted to re-introduce the brand in a clever way that felt as Canadian as possible. Knowing that saying sorry for not saying goodbye is a classic Canadian trait, we developed a two-part campaign, with part one addressing the fact that 15 years ago Lunchables left Canada without saying goodbye and phase two being our return.”

Mills says the product launch in Canada is the result of internal Kraft research that indicated Lunchables continues to have 76% brand recognition in the country despite having exited the market more than a decade ago. As of Wednesday, the brand’s Turkey and Ham Cracker Stackers snacks are available Canada, along with new flavours like Cheese Pizza, Pepperoni Pizza and Nachos.

“We’ve focused on taking what we’ve learned over the past 15 years and applying it to the Canadian market,” Mills says. “That’s why we’ve reintroduced the brand’s two best-selling Turkey and Ham Cracker Stackers, along with three other varieties to offer protein-packed options for lunch, snack and beyond that will fuel kids.”

Carat Canada and Zeno Group Canada supported the 360 campaign, which includes includes print and TV advertising, new Canadian social media handles, digital paid media and public relations efforts. Additionally, the campaign includes a consumer giveaway of 10,000 coupons via Lunchables’ website, led by Kraft Heinz Canada, to engage and drive awareness with Canadians.