Food PR Case Study

KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Cheddar Explosion Explodes into History
KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, a family favorite and the ultimate comfort food for more than 70 years, had become the dinner standby—the kid next door versus the new kid on the block. With the launch of its newest variety, KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese CHEDDAR EXPLOSION, Hunter Public Relations was tasked with launching this new product as a cool alternative for family meals. Hunter PR aligned the product with an event so “explosive” the media results were destined to be “dynamite”—the implosion of the Dallas Cowboys’ former home, the legendary Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. Through careful negotiations, Hunter PR secured the sponsorship rights to the implosion and kicked-off of a nationwide essay contest searching for one dynamite kid who made a positive impact in his community to win the right to push the detonation button. With more than 150 entries, Casey Rogers, an 11-year old former foster child from Terrell, Texas, was named the winner along with his charitable organization, Casey’s Heart, which collects food, clothing and toiletries from the local community and delivers them to the downtown Dallas homeless. In the days prior to the implosion, Casey conducted national and local media interviews, including a top 20-market SMT, paired with implosive experts, The Kellys, from TLC’s “The Imploders.” On April 11 2010, Casey brought down Texas Stadium in front of thousands of spectators and set-off a media frenzy. Hunter PR generated 1,430 placements, resulting in 914 million media impressions including, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, CNN, MSNBC, ESPN, NPR, Yahoo! News, AOL News, Dallas Morning News and in one week, attracted more than 180,000 brand target Facebook fans on the KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Facebook page. According to brand research, KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese CHEDDAR EXPLOSION achieved 50% brand awareness in the days following the implosion, prior to any paid media support.