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When actress Julia Fox appeared at a New York Knicks game on March 31st and flaunted a golden dye job by Velvita, many thought it was another weird April Fool’s joke by the brand. .
Fox’s unique looks captivated the paparazzi, created buzz online and made headlines in the entertainment press, including People and E! This is the kind of attention every marketer dreams of getting.
But this wasn’t a prank. Stephanie Vance, Velveeta’s brand manager, told her ADWEEK: “We don’t joke about joy.”
Velveeta and Fox’s collaboration was the latest in a series of outlandish marketing stunts as part of the “La Dolce Velveeta” platform, which debuted in November 2021. The campaign took an unexpectedly glossy and luxurious route, from cheesy martinis to scented nail polish. With its Federico Fellini-esque cinematic polish, Belvita now behaves more like a lifestyle brand than a classic refrigerator staple.
All of this happened in the name of “encouraging consumers to live for pleasure,” Vance said, and the ultimate goal is to become relevant again among younger generations. Ta. So far, the company’s marketing strategy has worked, helping to reinvent the more than 100-year-old brand.
“We needed to give [Velveeta] Glow-up, or ‘gold-up,’” Vance said.
Renewing a traditional brand
Belvita became popular in the kitchen for its smooth, easy-to-dissolve qualities before inspiring beauty products and cocktails. Swiss cheesemaker Emil Frey invented Belvita in his 1918, and Kraft acquired it in his 1927.
The marketing message for blocks of creamy yellow processed cheese dates back to wartime advertisements from the 1940s that promoted Velvita as a practical, “hearty” product. These range from advertisements from the 1950s touting the nutritional benefits of .
The U.S. processed cheese market grew steadily for decades until it peaked in 1996, but began to decline in the early 2000s due to growing awareness of the health effects of processed foods. . Belvita began to establish itself as a side dish or specialty ingredient, such as the basis of queso dip or comforting macaroni and cheese at parties.
