In 2018 Kraft was stuck in the middle between generic grocery store brands and higher-end healthier-seeming options. It was a competitive no-man’s land. The brand didn’t stick out or stand for anything in the public’s mind.

To change things, Kraft spent the last half of the year refining its brand purpose, and developing a positioning that deepened the brand’s connection to families.

The desired outcome was to help reintroduce the brand as one that understands families and releases some of the pressures they feel. A positioning that not only let Kraft speak about its products, but allowed it to act, and stand for something in culture.

As this process was winding down, the US government started its longest shutdown in history, furloughing 800,000 workers.

Kraft thought if furloughed workers and their families would be going without pay, then so would we.

Within 24 hours Kraft opened a grocery store in downtown Washington DC, the heart of the shutdown’s impact. Here, furloughed workers could grocery shop as usual, buying pantry and frozen items. The only difference: Instead of paying us they could pay it forward by donating to a local food bank or their favorite charity once their paychecks started coming back later. One main reason of this mechanic was to allow families to relieve a burden without it feeling like a handout.

Amidst all the partisan bickering, Kraft’s piece of non-partisan counter-programming helped the brand stand out and put the focus where it was needed most: on furloughed workers and their families.

The key message was that Kraft was a brand who stood for families and knew how to relieve their stress, particularly when it came to mealtime.

The primary audience was furloughed workers in the Washington DC, area, people who could take advantage of the store.

This immediate audience is a microcosm of a wider target: parents across the country, who understand the stress of putting a meal on the table, preferably one that everyone will eat and enjoy. This secondary target, would hear about Kraft’s efforts with the store, and could directly see Kraft’s renewed purpose in action.

The store was built in just 24 hours, with the team overcoming a host of obstacles including the task of pulling permits amidst the shutdown.

As the shutdown went on, the need for the store only grew and daily visitors rose to over 2250/day. To help increase support, Kraft publicly asked other brands, even competing brands, to help.

The response was overwhelming with national and international brands such as H & M and Tropicana helping stock the store’s shelves.

The store was local to DC, where it could have the greatest direct impact. And word of Kraft’s act spread across the nation.

Kraft kept the store open until the government re-opened, sticking with furloughed families until the end.

Over 10 thousand federal workers came to the store, keeping things business as usual for their families and experiencing first hand how Kraft stands with families.

700,000,000 media impressions, allowed everyone to implicitly understand Kraft’s revitalized purpose.

140% growth in conversation around Kraft

20% increase in Kraft social followers.