Kraft Peanut Butter brings iconic bears to life

Kraft Peanut Butter is hoping to win over consumers’ hearts with something snuggly: teddy bears.

The brand is selling new plush teddy bears, whose likeness appears on jars of Kraft Peanut Butter. “We’re bringing our icons to life, giving consumers the chance to touch and feel them, give them a hug and share them with loved ones,” said Aaron Nemoy, senior brand manager, Kraft Peanut Butter.

The products are part of Kraft Peanut Butter’s “Stick Together” campaign, which aims to build stronger emotional connections with millennial families. A 60-second spot, which launched in April, followed a woman from childhood to motherhood, experiencing life’s milestones with her beloved teddy bear by her side.

After the ad aired, Kraft received “an overwhelming request” for the bears on its social media channels, said Nemoy. “Many people shared with us how important these icons have always been to their families. Knowing that teddy bears are often our very first friends, we wanted to make sure we were giving back something to our fans to help reinforce the notion of sticking together and lasting friendship.”

The teddy bears, designed by Pigeon, come with a red or green bowtie. Consumers can purchase the teddy bears as a pair at StickTogether.ca, or individually at select grocery stores with the purchase of a jar of Kraft Peanut Butter.

“As a brand, it’s much less about the sale,” said Nemoy. “Most importantly, it’s a chance for us to ensure Canadians continue to create meaningful connections in a society where modern life can pull us apart.”

The plush bears are being promoted with an online video (pictured) that shows the excited reactions of children being given a bear by surprise. An online contest will give away 1,500 pairs of bears.

Kraft Canada worked with Taxi 2 (creative) Starcom Mediavest (media) and Edelman (PR) on the launch.

This article first appeared in Marketing magazine