Kruger doubles down on patriotism with playful series of campaigns

Kruger Products is once again rallying around the flag and tapping into “Buy Canadian” sentiment.

According to Susan Irving, CMO of Kruger Products, the company is paying tribute to the made-in-Canada quality of its brands with a series of new multi-channel campaigns.

Broken Heart Love Affair led strategy and creative for the new Cashmere, Purex and SpongeTowels work that builds on the “Made by Canadians, for Canadians” campaign established during the outset of the current trade war with the U.S.

A new 15-second spot from Cashmere promotes a set of gift boxes featuring custom-crafted “Made in Canada” seals that put a patriotic stamp on rolls of bathroom tissue. The giftboxes will be shared with Canadian media and influencers and distributed to consumers via contests through influencer channels.

Kruger also reprised the “Made by Canadians for Canadians” tagline, which debuted in February, for a new Purex campaign that claims the product is “stronger than the grizzly-est grizzly bear.”

In the Purex rollout, which is running on YouTube, social and DOOH, the brand playfully highlights the product’s softness and strength while paying homage to the brand’s Western Canadian roots.

SpongeTowels’ latest work highlights the product’s “ultra-absorby and ultra-Canadian qualities” in a nod to a popular former campaign in which a single paper-towel sheet drains a swimming pool.

The playful ads are part of a multi-channel social-media campaign that showcases SpongeTowels’ ability to absorb a variety of spills, including maple syrup and even Niagara Falls itself.

North Strategic handled PR and Wavemaker worked on media for all three campaigns.

Kruger has also launched the #OnlyInCanada contest for its Bonterra and Scotties brands, with a $10,000 Canadian vacation grand prize, plus BBQs, gift cards and various Kruger products on offer as secondary prizes.

The “Only in Canada” work features strategy and creative by Treetop and shopper marketing by VCG.

The company tells strategy that aside from participating in Kruger’s shopper marketing programming, on both Bonterra and Scotties, it features Canadian pride in its current evergreen advertising and predominantly on its packaging. On Bonterra, Kruger has been running creative speaking to its Canadian-made products that are for a better planet. On Scotties, Kruger has been featuring a “Canada’s #1 Tissue Brand” claim to show how it’s resonating.

Kruger tells strategy that beyond its shopper marketing efforts for both Bonterra and Scotties, it’s highlighting Canadian pride through evergreen advertising and prominently on packaging. For Bonterra, that includes creative focused on the brand’s Canadian-made credentials and its commitment to sustainability. For Scotties, Kruger is leaning into its “Canada’s #1 Tissue Brand” claim to reinforce the brand’s resonance with consumers.

The OOH, digital and social-media work for February’s “Made by Canadians, for Canadians” included a series of ads and exclusive campaigns showcasing the CPG’s commitment to, and love for, Canada.

Irving said Kruger has made it easier for consumers to buy Canadian with confidence by prominently displaying “Made in Canada” callouts on packaging.

Since the campaign’s launch, Kruger has gained share in the household paper category.