For Kraft Heinz, brand building is no longer confined to the grocery aisle. Speaking to Adweek, North America CMO Todd Kaplan outlined how the company is connecting household brands to cultural moments—from NFL tailgates to TikTok feeds—as consumer discovery shifts away from traditional media channels.
The significance extends beyond food marketing. As algorithms increasingly determine what consumers see, brands are being pushed to earn relevance in culture rather than simply buy reach.
From Products to Participation
Kaplan's approach centres on inserting Kraft Heinz brands into occasions and communities that consumers already care about. NFL game-day rituals, social media trends and creator-led content have become distribution channels for brand relevance.
The strategy reflects a broader industry reality: consumers are discovering products through feeds, recommendations and shared experiences rather than linear advertising journeys. In an algorithm-led environment, cultural participation becomes a visibility strategy.
What This Means for India
For Indian marketers, the lesson is that brand equity alone is no longer enough. Legacy brands must continuously adapt to platforms where discovery is driven by engagement signals rather than media weight.
This is particularly relevant as platforms such as short-video apps, connected TV and commerce-led content ecosystems increasingly shape purchase behaviour. Brands that connect themselves to festivals, sports, entertainment and creator communities are more likely to remain visible within recommendation-driven environments.
Media planners may also need to rethink measurement frameworks, balancing reach metrics with indicators of cultural relevance, participation and shareability.
Our insight
In the algorithm era, the challenge is not keeping a brand visible—it is ensuring the algorithm has a reason to keep showing it.