It’s an honor just to be nominated, but we’ll take a win any day. Our groundbreaking “Kitchen Confessions” campaign with Unilever Food Solutions has won Best Multi-Platform Partnership, Food & Beverage, at the 18th Annual Shorty Awards.
The Strategy
In a challenging restaurant environment where rising costs push operators toward short-term cost-cutting, our mission was clear: shift mindsets from commodity thinking to long-term value. We knew traditional B2B marketing wouldn’t cut it. Instead, we leveraged the powerful insight that chefs trust their peers, especially authentic, celebrated voices.
Our solution? Anchor the campaign around renowned celebrity chef, executive producer, author and Hellmann’s lover Matty Matheson. Instead of dry product demos, Matty shared humorous, vulnerable “Kitchen Confessions” that organically showcased Hellmann’s superiority in real back-of-house situations. We treated professional chefs not just as business decision-makers but as discerning consumers driven by taste and brand connection.
Execution & Impact: Building Owned Ecosystems of Trust
Our multi-channel execution built the “owned ecosystems” that truly connect:
- Short-form social: Engaging 15- and 30-second confession videos on Meta and TikTok sparked attention and user-generated content.
- Long-form storytelling: Extended narratives on CTV and YouTube demonstrated Hellmann’s performance in authentic kitchen settings.
- Programmatic display: Interactive banners reinforced the message and drove traffic to deeper content.
The results speak volumes: the campaign lifted market share by +200 bps among small, independent operators, driving significant volume and value gains, and making Hellmann’s the branded volume leader at 32.4%. Engagement soared, with a 98% CTV completion rate, a 0.59% Meta CTR (65% below benchmark), and 95% YouTube viewability.
“Kitchen Confessions” didn’t just exceed objectives; it reset the playbook for B2B marketing in the foodservice category. By pairing a high-profile voice and chef-to-chef storytelling, we put a functional ingredient into a culturally relevant, emotionally engaging conversation, proving that genuine human connection is the ultimate driver of commercial success.
