The romance of Valentine's Day may not be easy for parents. You can buy roses, chocolates, or shiny jewelry, but kids have a way of intruding on adult fun.
That's a problem Kraft Heinz (KHC 1.31%) wants to help with. Most parents (86%) want to have time alone with their significant other this Valentine's Day, according to a Kraft press release, but 25% of them said their kids will keep that from happening.
To aid with that (and get some media attention) the food giant is giving parents a chance to win its new Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Big Bowls in time for Valentine's Day. These bowls, which only require the parent to add water and microwave for three minutes, ostensibly keep the kids happy and frees up time for some alone time.
Winning parents will also receive a variety of romantic items including candles, rose petals, and a card. The Macaroni & Cheese Big Bowls go on sale nationwide on Feb. 15, one day after the holiday.
Kraft is getting attention for a new product in a smart way. Image source: Kraft Heinz.
What is Kraft doing?
Call this a cheeky publicity stunt. The reason parents may not have the Valentine's Day they hoped for probably had nothing to with the difficulty in making traditional boxed macaroni and cheese. Kraft knows that too but it's taking a colorful (call it PG-13) approach to getting attention for a tired brand.
"We decided to launch our new Kraft Big Bowls early to give parents what they really want on Valentine's Day, some time to get it on," said Kraft Heinz Brand Manager Kelsey Cooperstein in the press release. "Kraft Big Bowls is an easy and kid-pleasing dinner solution with even more cheese and noodles than our microwavable Easy Mac cups, so parents can put their kids to bed and enjoy a night of romance."
This is a smart play
It would be hard for Kraft to get a lot of media attention for what is essentially new packaging for microwavable macaroni and cheese. Taking this angle makes it more of a story and brings attention to a product that busy parents may actually like.
