Overview
By 2014, Canadian millennials were the largest growing demographic making up 38.8 % of the workforce. In contrast, Baby Boomers formerly were the largest group in 1999, making up 51.4% of the labor pool. Kraft Singles had been synonymous with Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers for over 50 years, but the product needed to pivot into the 21st century, especially with millennial moms. For a generation obsessed with tech, there is also zeitgeist consciousness for a healthier, artisanal lifestyle. For a “cheese” that is only 51% real cheese, how could you sell this product to a target market obsessed all things organic and gluten-free?
Identifying Target Market
The target market is the general millennial population born between 1981-2000. The strongest buyer personas within this group are:
With a population of 6.3 million in Canada, millennials exhibit similar behaviors and values, both male and female. While the goal is to influence the deep pockets of the millennial moms, the messaging of the Kraft Singles pivot is tapping into yearning for simpler times when families could dine together. An era when leisure time was not a luxury –BBQing in the backyard and making grilled cheese sandwiches for your kids. The imagery should harken back to Baby Boomer mom’s in-home behavior in the decades when Kraft Singles reigned supreme, then cutting to the millennial moms and dads of today spending time with their Generation Z children.
The millennial market is the target market because of two key factors:
• Growth: Between 1999-2014, the millennial market grew at 9.87% over individual five-year period(s). The baby boomer workforce will continue to decline, as will their buying power.
• Accessibility: With similar buyer personas, the 14-33 age group were reared on digital media. This group is receptive to a new messaging about “vintage” products. Tug on the heart strings of nostalgia and the millennials will come running.
Brand Pillars
Economical: Canadians cannot not import cheese due to sky-high duties that keeps imported dairy out of the country. For a millennial demographic that is concerned about maximum convivence at the lowest cost, what would be better after a long-day at the office than a Kraft single on a whole-grain sprouted bread, made on a Cuisinart Griddler? Fast, inexpensive and tasty!
Nostalgia: Grilled cheese at lunchtime, burgers on a Sunday afternoon grill, pigs in blanket; remember a simpler time when families could spend time watching a football game, lunch after church or Saturdays by the pool? The message is family and togetherness, which will harken back to a time when life was not Google calendar-ed. In an ever-changing world, one product that has consistency is Kraft Singles.
Giving Back: What would be a greater incentive to buy than giving back to the communities in which you live? Using the Warby Parker model, the eyewear company gives a pair of eyeglasses to a person in need, for every pair sold. 2.5 billion people around the world need glasses but don’t have access to them; of these, 624 million cannot effectively learn or work due to the severity of their visual impairment, while the metrics may be different, the same goes for food. You cannot learn or work if you do not have food. Kraft should give a box of cheese to local food banks in the regions that they deliver their groceries to. Great examples of charities would be the Calgary Food Bank, The Mississauga Food Bank and Food Share. The millennial audiences are interested in transparency and investing in businesses that are aiding the populations in which they dwell.
Headlines
Economical: Tired of paying more for cheese than you would for a steak? Try Kraft Singles. A tried, true and thrifty choice for over 50 years.
Supporting Example: Due to the supply chain management issues in Canada, the cost of cheese is passed onto the customers because dairy farmers are not subsidized in the Great White North. Both the European Union and the United States give financial support to the dairy industry. Dairy in Canada can have a 150-500% markup. The headline would be targeting anti-millennials that are concerned about value consciousness, the dollar store sub-segment and those who do not spend more for “green products.” A simple picture of a steak and piece of cheese would drive this message home via Instagram advertising [Reference 1].
Nostalgia: Remember your mother’s grilled cheese? They were made with Kraft Singles.
Supporting Example: This headline would be for a print and video campaign that could run on Instagram and YouTube featuring a Baby Boomer mom making a grilled cheese sandwich for a millennial mom circa the 1980’s. Thus, a play on the iconography of Kraft Singles. This messaging would tug at the heartstrings of nostalgia harkening back to simpler times when food prep ingredients did not come via UPS. The headline would be targeting millennium moms who love to pamper their kids [Reference 2].
Giving Back: For every Single, a pack of cheese is given to a food bank in need.
Supporting Example: Millennials share personal information with retailers but in return they expect customization and change. Why not try to change the communities in which they live? A big reason I make a habitual purchase with Warby Parker is because they give eyeglasses to people in need. If you do not have proper eyewear, you cannot learn. If you do not have food in stomach, you cannot learn or work. If Kraft, which mass produces their cheese gave a box of cheese to every food bank, every time they made a delivery to a supermarket, this could potentially nullify the message of the more undesirable ingredients in Kraft Singles [Reference 3].
Reference 1
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/81628/why-cheese-so-expensive-canada
Reference 2
https://hellogiggles.com/lifestyle/money-career/leonardo-dicaprio-kraft-cheese-commercial/
Reference 3
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-14-1234