Kraft Mac & Cheese (KMC) embodies American comfort food. For decades, comfort was its brand persona, defined by soft and fuzzy ads, and familiar flavors. Over time, that safe stance started to hurt sales and bore Zillennials.
The actor Jason Biggs catapulted to stardom with the iconic 1999 coming-of-age film American Pie. But 26 years later, his relevance was also waning.
These two cultural forces had one thing in common: they both needed a brand refresh. To be more than just a comfort food, KMC needed to get out of their comfort zone — and nudge consumers out of theirs at the same time. With a little help from “America’s Pie Guy”, Jason Biggs.
The core idea was to disrupt comfort food norms by launching a shocking, conversation-driving Thanksgiving flavor: Apple Pie Mac & Cheese.
Americans have been serving cheese on apple pie since the 1600s, and the pairing has always been controversial. By adding macaroni, KMC took the long-debated tradition into uncharted territory.
The wildcard flavor demanded a wildcard partner. Nobody saw it coming when KMC cast Jason Biggs — even though he was a perfect fit for the role. Biggs’ notorious on-screen romance with an apple pie cemented his status as a global pop-culture icon and changed how the world thinks about the dessert. This campaign was Biggs’ chance to return to what made him famous in the first place: his deep love of apple pie. His infamous romantic scene became the campaign’s creative muse.
We launched the idea where Zillennials consume culture: across social and CTV. We used our provocative flavor and humor to spark debate and trial. Four films starring Jason Biggs leaned into innuendo and self-awareness, edging KMC out of its comfort zone without crossing into crass. Striking that balance was the campaign’s biggest creative challenge. As a family-friendly brand, KMC needed to be edgy enough to grab the target’s attention, but not so over the top that it alienated audiences.
In the hero spots, we poked fun at Jason's romantic past with apple pie and implied his taste in pastry hasn’t changed. As soon as he got close to the product, we set the mood by playing sensual music, closing the curtains, dimming the lights, and lighting candles. The comedic tension came from Bigg’s frustration over being typecast as a pie lover. In our longer cut, we took a “prequel” approach, showing the genesis of how Jason became the product spokesperson in the first place: by pitching himself.
The campaign cooked. The shocking flavor and creative sparked debate online, some skeptical, others completely sold. But whether they loved it or not, people talked about it. Earned media exploded, social engagement blew past benchmarks, and the product sold out well before Thanksgiving.
Kraft Mac & Cheese Apple Pie was the most successful KMC campaign of 2025, with over 1.3 billion earned media impressions and 660 earned media placements in 19 top tier outlets, including People Magazine, Late Night With Seth Meyers, Access Daily with Mario & Kit and ET Online. In the end, it proved that getting out of the comfort zone was the key to getting KMC back into culture.
