Dive Temporary:
- Unilever-owned meals model Knorr is embracing dupe tradition with a social-first advert marketing campaign and partnership with movie star chef Martha Stewart, per particulars shared with Advertising and marketing Dive.
- The marketing campaign helps Knorr’s “Limitless Time Menu,” which showcases how the model’s merchandise can be utilized to recreate common limited-time menu gadgets from quick meals chains like McDonald’s. Stewart options in a 30-second spot the place she makes use of Knorr merchandise to dupe a sandwich much like the McRib alongside a bunch of “limitless Marthas.”
- Knorr for the primary time can be using branded advertisements on Lyft and shoppable recipe movies with a QR code on Roku that may result in Walmart’s recipe web page. Different parts embrace influencer and social content material, digital out-of-home (OOH) advertisements and a partnership with chef and content material creator Joshua Weissman and quick meals influencer How Kev Eats.
Dive Perception:
Knorr is empowering quick meals followers to recreate their favourite limited-time choices at residence with the assistance of its pre-packaged merchandise. “Limitless Time Menu” exhibits off 4 quick meals dupes and explains how shoppers could make their favorites at residence, with menu gadgets inclusive of the Okay-Rib sandwich, a reference to the McRib; the Knorr Double Up, a reference to the KFC Double Down; the Mac ‘n Rooster Bowl; and the Knorr-ito.
The accompanying marketing campaign calls on model associate Stewart, who stars in a 30-second spot the place she introduces “a kind of quick meals rib sandwiches” you could solely get for a restricted time — a transparent nod to the McRib. Nonetheless, the star reveals that whereas the sandwich seems to be just like the McRib, it’s a dupe that she created utilizing Knorr merchandise. Stewart then asserts you could dupe “virtually something” earlier than calling on her military of “limitless Marthas,” a bunch of girls who look much like the enduring residence chef.
Usually related to vogue and wonder manufacturers, “dupe tradition” is when shoppers search for decrease value or extra handy alternate options to recreate costlier seems to be and merchandise. Gen Z shoppers particularly have proven curiosity within the pattern, particularly amid rising financial uncertainty. As quick meals turns into costlier and types proceed to embrace limited-time choices to generate hype, shoppers could also be tempted to recreate meals at residence.
Extra marketing campaign parts embrace branded advertisements on Lyft meant to intercept customers after they choose their vacation spot as a quick meals restaurant and shoppable recipe movies constructed with a QR code on Roku that may direct shoppers to a recipe web page by Walmart. Different property will span social media platforms together with X, TikTok and Instagram, with influencer content material on the latter two platforms. Digital out-of-home advertisements will seem in cities together with Chicago and Boston to focus on quick meals shoppers.
Artistic is basically centered on how comparable Knorr’s dupes style to the unique product. The YouTube collaborations with Weissman, who boasts over 10 million YouTube subscribers, and Noparvar, who has over 670,000 Instagram followers, are meant to lend credibility to the style facet of the recipes.
Restricted-time choices play a key position within the advertising and marketing for a lot of quick meals chains. For instance, McDonald’s USA held a “farewell tour” for the McRib in 2022 (regardless of quite a few reappearances since then) and KFC closely promoted the return of the Double Down in 2023 and 2025. Nonetheless, when these things seem is basically unpredictable.
Knorr has turned to social and digital media to achieve shoppers. Within the lead as much as Thanksgiving, the model launched its “#EffortisEverything” marketing campaign, which inspired shoppers to take culinary dangers throughout the vacation season, even when outcomes had been lower than stellar. In February, the model tried to make cooking extra approachable for shoppers seeking to woo a associate throughout Valentine’s Day.
