THE CHALLENGE

Knorr is a brand that’s been in Canadians’ homes for decades, however it had started gathering dust. The problem? Canadians didn’t feel Knorr understood their needs, resulting in soft sales performance. 

The brand was no longer just competing with those beside them on the grocery shelves, but meal kits, delivery apps and fast-food behemoths. There was a need to get Canadians cooking again at home, bringing Knorr to the front of consumers’ pantries, improving brand love and turning our sales trajectory from negative to positive.  

Working in our favour, the majority of Canadians admit meals made from scratch are more satisfying. Taste, versatility and smart simple solutions are core brand power drivers for home cooks according to brand-owned research – all areas where Knorr could excel, but we’d need to remind consumers of it. We needed to meet Canadians where they were to show them Knorr is a timely and relevant solution that can inspire delicious, quick and affordable meals at home. 

THE STRATEGY

To grow brand love and stand out, we needed to communicate to Canadian home cooks, predominantly adults aged 28-43 (Millennials). 

Strapped for time, cash, and inspiration, many Canadians have abandoned their home cooking routines, and spend less time cooking. Meanwhile, fast food dominates the conversation around tasty meals, with these brands spending nearly $500M in media. As a result, more than half of Canadians opt for a fast-food meal on a weekly basis. 

Knowing taste is a key driver to food decision making – and with the popularity of brick-and-mortar quick service restaurants, particularly in Ontario – we believed an engaging in-person activation would be the best way to spark conversations and get our target audience to experience how delicious home cooking with Knorr could be. But we couldn’t stop there. We needed to be present where our target was seeking foodie inspiration and making mealtime decisions, blending experiential, digital, social, influencer, and earned. 

THE EXECUTION

We transformed a residential home in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods into a takeout joint. We called It Yummy K's. Borrowing tropes from the fast-food world, we outfitted the exterior and customer experience, including a drive-thru pick up window and fast food-inspired packaging. 

Celeb chef Matty Matheson developed two unique menu items and gave a sneak peek of his BBQ Chopped Chicken Sandwich recipe on TikTok. Additionally, Knorr painted Toronto's Bloor-Yonge TTC station green, featuring larger-than-life visuals of fast food-style recipes made with Knorr products, directing commuters back to the Knorr.ca website for recipe inspiration. Next, we teased the pop-up with targeted ads across Meta and grassroots wild postings within a 2km radius of the pop-up.

Tapping into the modern world of fast food, we partnered with food pick-up app Ritual, and made all of our combos available for only $5. All proceeds were then donated back to longstanding charity partner, La Tablee des Chefs.

THE OUTCOME

Yummy K’s SOLD OUT three times in as many days with over 1,000 Yummy K’s combos sold – 2.5x anticipated sales.

But the impact wasn’t just local. On social, Matty’s TikTok video reached #2 Trending Video across all of Canada, with over 5M views. 

The buzz continues, as Yummy K’s and the accompanying integrated campaign accelerated Knorr POS performance while competitor brands experienced YoY declines. First-party research shows Knorr is now strongly endorsed by consumers for being a trusted brand with delicious taste and versatility. Now that’s a combo we love to see!