BACKGROUND

Creamy Velveeta cheese has always been known as liquid gold. Then one day, an $11.7 million cube of actual gold showed up in New York City’s Central Park. The 410-pound gold cube was a pricey 24-hour art installation that immediately grabbed the media’s attention. 

But Velveeta wasn’t impressed. As a brand that’s all about pleasure-seeking, the idea of a giant gold cube that you couldn’t eat or enjoy seemed silly. So with less than 24 hours to act, Velveeta got to work.

CREATIVE IDEA

Velveeta wanted to call out the art world in the cheesiest way possible by giving Americans a gold cube they actually valued: a box of Velveeta cheese. So with little time to act, the brand sprang into action. In less than 24 hours, it built, installed and unveiled the Velveeta Liquid Gold Cube in the exact same spot as the original gold cube. 

The Velveeta Liquid Gold Cube was a box of Velveeta 1,400 times the size of an actual box of the product. Instantly the media caught on to Velveeta’s stunt and the response was clear — people loved it. The Liquid Gold Cube was the kind of gold everyday people could relate to. In fact, people valued it so much, it was stolen. The theft was an unanticipated wrinkle that earned the brand a second round of buzz and media coverage.

STRATEGY 

Velveeta cheese is creamy and delicious. One glance and your mouth will start to water. There’s a reason the brand earned the name “Liquid Gold.” So naturally the brand’s strategy revolves around pleasure-seeking, and a cold gold cube that can’t be eaten or enjoyed is the exact opposite of pleasure.

So Velveeta decided to call out the giant gold cube art installation via a giant Liquid Gold Cube that delivered a lot more enjoyment. Instantly the country ate it up, and most of the buzz favored the Liquid Gold Cube over the original.

EXECUTION 

Velveeta knew the original gold cube would only be around for 24 hours, and to catch the media window, Velveeta would have to show up immediately afterward. So the brand identified a production partner in New York City known for making things quickly: Underground Visuals. Underground Visuals creates sets at a moment’s notice for NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” In mere hours, the brand built an 8-foot box of Velveeta — 1,400 times the size of a regular box.

The morning after the original gold cube was removed, the Liquid Gold Cube was unveiled in the exact same spot in the heart of Central Park. Photographers and consumers flocked to see the Liquid Gold Cube throughout the day. But, after 24 hours, the cube was stolen. So Velveeta created “missing” posters across social media and offered a cheesy reward for any information, which generated a second round of media coverage. 

RESULTS 

The media buzz about the Liquid Gold Cube was instant. The act garnered over 209 million earned impressions across 210 earned media placements, including 164 different broadcast segments. Notable outlets like “Good Morning America,” People and an earned print placement in The New York Times raved about the Liquid Gold Cube.  

In addition, the activation took off on Reddit with a 198% rise in brand mentions after the Liquid Gold Cube’s release. Overall, the Liquid Gold Cube had a 100% positive/neutral sentiment, proving it’s hard not to love a giant box of Velveeta.