Dr. Oetker is making an overture to the premium minded with an operatic pizza innovation.
Suprema is Dr. Oetker’s official entry into the premium frozen segment where it will compete with both boutique and private label brands.
As the centerpiece of a Publicis-led national 360 campaign, Suprema is debuting a one-of-a-kind 11-minute pop-up opera and a three-minute aria in downtown Toronto (the performance lengths correspond to the 11- to 14-minute cooking times in the product line).
The immersive activation tells the story of a modern-day sculptor who brings the frozen figure of a god to life in a metaphor of the pizza product itself.
“The opera disrupts consumer expectations just like the product it introduces,” says Zineb Benslimane, senior brand manager with Dr. Oetker Canada.
“We wanted to take an unexpected approach and mark our boldest product launch in over two decades.”
The launch will also be supported by a TV spot, experiential sampling, digital content, media partnerships, OOH, influencer collaborations and immersive activations at high-traffic street festivals. A shopper marketing initiative will be used to drive at-shelf conversion.
“Each of these efforts plays an equally important role in building excitement, driving trial and establishing a strong foundation for sustained brand growth,” Benslimane says.
While opera is an Italian-rooted tradition, and whilst the pizza is inspired by the Neapolitan tradition, the brand has purposefully steered away from leaning too heavily into Italian cues.
“Instead, we’ve chosen to tell a more modern, premium story that feels distinct and ownable,” Benslimane says.
Dr. Oetker’s logo has been updated to all gold and marble brand textures have been integrated into branding to set Suprema apart from the rest of the company’s pizza portfolio.
“Even the Suprema photography is extremely important to the general aesthetic of the brand,” Benslimane says. “We have taken inspiration from renaissance-painting style layouts but with black on black stylings to allow the pizza and ingredients to pop.”
The frozen-pizza segment remains very competitive, even after Nestlé Canada phased out its frozen pizza and meals business in Canada.
“We have a strong market-share ambition for this newly launched brand, not only to reinforce Dr. Oetker’s leadership in the category, but also to drive growth in the expanding artisanal and premium frozen pizza segment,” Benslimane says.
Supporting agencies include Publicis Toronto on creative and media, Publicis Sports & Entertainment on production and event execution and North Strategic on communications and influencer. Packaging design was developed in collaboration with London’s Design Bridge.
