Kraft Macaroni & Cheese gets new ‘protein-centered’ focus

Food labels can be great tools for telling customers about new additions to a product, but they can also highlight existing facets that could change the way that product is perceived by the public. According to AdWeek, Kraft is attempting to rebrand its popular line of macaroni and cheese by focusing on the pre-packaged meal’s protein content and making it seem more health-conscious as a result.

The source noted that Kraft has released an ad that specifically highlights the “9 grams of protein” contained in every 2.4-ounce serving. What’s interesting about the campaign is that this proportion isn’t new, but the attempt to put protein front and center is. It appears to be an attempt to dispel the idea that macaroni and cheese is only “comfort food.”

Sara Braun, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese’s senior marketing director, told the source that a chief concern is addressing the healthy eating habits of children.

“It’s about making sure that these parents have the nutritional reassurance they need to feel better about serving Kraft Mac and Cheese,” she said. She also added that “It’s definitely [about] striking a balance because we have heard time and time again from our consumers that they don’t think of macaroni and cheese as a health food.”

Because of the strong assumptions customers could already have about this product, Kraft will have to be vigilant to seem honest in this effort. If they want their advertising messages to stand out, businesses have to employ images and lettering that gets the point across quickly on the product itself.

Using custom printed labels, food companies can show their customer base the aspects of a product that will be of most interest to them. This is especially helpful in the context of a larger campaign that includes related messages in other forms of media, like commercials and online ads.