Ontarians are used to picking up a 2-4 over summer long weekends – for beer, that is, not food.

KD’s latest campaign puts a twist on a time-honoured cottage tradition by helping locals stock their vacation getaway pantries for the Victoria Day long weekend, rolling out the “KD 2-4,” the first ever 2-4 of KD mac ‘n cheese cups, created in partnership with The Beer Store. Starting Friday (May 17), consumers can get their hands on a free 24-pack of KD Cups while supplies last.

“As many Canadians head to the cottage for the long weekend in May, stopping at the Beer Store for their 2-4 is an unheralded tradition,” says Brian Neumann, head of brand communication, Kraft Heinz Canada. “We took the opportunity to piggyback on this consumer behavior with the KD 2-4, 24 cups of Canada’s favorite Mac & Cheese in our most convenient snackable format.”

Neumann adds that KD cups were a perfect fit to provide easy snacking on long weekends for Gen Z consumers searching for “cravings and convenience. He adds that the product also allows consumers to enjoy it without having to spend extra time in the kitchen during their long weekend.

Neumann says the link up with The Beer Store brings two iconic brands together, but he tells strategy that the pairing is a one-off for now.

Simon Au, ECD of the CPG’s in-house agency The Kitchen, says it made sense to position KD Cups as the go-to comfort snack for the long weekend in a self-aware way that would resonate with the Canadians who’ve grown up surrounded by classic beer marketing.

“As a mac and cheese brand, it was a fun opportunity for us to play in that creative space,” Au says. “We took all those familiar elements – picturesque mountain backgrounds, sweaty bottles, clinking glasses and more – and put an engaging and ownable twist on them that remained true to the brand.”

To that end, the verbiage is beer-related too as the campaign encourages Canadians to “crack a warm one,” as they celebrate the kickoff to summer, adding “this cup’s for you,” a play on Budweiser’s iconic tagline.

Beer Store locations were strategically selected in many of the most popular vacation destinations across the GTA, Hamilton, Barrie, Collingwood and Muskoka to make it as easy as possible for fans to pick up a case on their way out of town.

KD and The Beer Store will promote the campaign through in-store signage at select locations, including on the retailer’s wall of beer brands available for sale.

Digital and OOH assets (pictured, right) for the campaign are meant to evoke the look and feel of traditional Canadian beer advertisements. The campaign also includes wild postings of the beer-inspired OOH creative across the GTA.

Both KD and The Beer Store will take to social to introduce the partnership and encourage consumer engagement.

To drive buzz, traffic and engagement, the campaign leverages digital and paid media as well as paid social.

The “KD 2-4” campaign and production were developed by The Kitchen with support from Zeno Group Canada on PR.