Why This Food Market Reminded Canadians that ‘There’s No Restaurant Like Home’
Everyone has a guilty pleasure food combination - a pairing so dubious and questionable in nature that you’d never do it at a restaurant, but secretly, you know that within the comforts of your own home, there’s nothing quite like it. Sure, it might be egregious and a sin against the laws of fine dining, but when it tastes good, being wrong never felt quite so right.
To highlight the joys of unabashed, unapologetic eating, Canadian retail chain M&M Food Market called on creative agency partner Cossette to create ‘There’s No Restaurant Like Home’. Driven by the surge of appreciation for at-home dining following covid-19, the campaign revolves around two central spots that showcase the joy of transforming one’s home into a personal restaurant - a safe place where everyone can play with their food and pile as many weird toppings onto a burger as their heart desires.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Cossette’s executive creative director Anthony Atkinson, VP of strategy Geraldine Tixier, and M&M Food Market VP of marketing Greg Boyer, to learn how this all came to life.
LBB> What was the brief for this campaign, and what made playing off the idea that ‘staying in is the new eating out’ the right creative approach for the opportunity?
Greg> We wanted to refresh the brand, connect with a younger audience, and, more specifically, demonstrate how the brand can inspire relevant and unique at-home occasions in their lives. Cossette is an incredible partner that’s been with us on this journey for a few years now, and through collaboration, workshopping and an intense consumer focus, we aligned on a direction for how we wanted to connect with that new audience. Our partners at Cossette never settle for the status quo and always push the work to be the best it can be.
Geraldine> The brief for this campaign was really about celebrating the uniqueness of the brand. M&M Food Market isn’t your typical frozen food retail chain, and its products are often enjoyed to mark moments in our lives and make them feel more special. Coming out of the pandemic, our relationship with food has deepened and our homes have become a place for entertainment in their own right. That seemed like a ripe cultural opportunity to give the brand a meaningful role in people’s lives.
LBB> Specifically, the work highlights fun food opportunities that might be considered strange in a restaurant, but are perfectly acceptable within one’s own home. What made this the right way to highlight the quality of M&M Food Market?
Anthony> This was equal parts food quality and food enjoyment. The quality comes from the kind of foods you love to order from, say, your favourite gastropub, while the enjoyment comes from the freedom to savour food your way - free from the side-eye of a judgmental waiter.
Greg> M&M Food Market has always been a reliable partner in people’s homes, but not just for its practicality. The company was born out of a desire to offer restaurant-quality food that people can enjoy in the convenience of their own homes, which is something our target consumers have latched onto. We leaned into the brand’s uniqueness by harnessing this idea.
LBB> A big part of this campaign was exciting food lovers. Creatively, how did you approach this task in order to best target this demographic?
Anthony> Our audience is creative. They love to cook, they love to eat, and they love the freedom that comes with customisation. We wanted food lovers to feel liberated by prepared foods: that a meal doesn’t stop with pulling something out of the oven and slapping it on a plate. There’s plenty of room to get creative and enjoy food unapologetically.
Not only that - people are tired of commercially perfect food, I feel. The job was to be indulgent and a bit messy. So, we were inspired by Martin Parr’s food photography, where he merges the worlds of documentary and commercialism to create a unique aesthetic that’s both delicious and very real.
LBB> Both spots are super fun! What was the writing process like, and how did you come up with food-related decisions that one might not do in public?
Anthony> For us, it started with the food, and then we had fun being creative with how we would develop our own menu or themes. The stories are endless, which is a great testament to a strong platform. The narration in particular was where we found our magic. Our brand voice is one of freedom and encouragement - the kind of voice that lives within our heads but we rarely act upon because of our own eating habits. We wanted people to feel a sense of freedom when watching these, and remember that food was meant to be played with and enjoyed in any way you like.
Greg> We decided to focus on the products that are true icons within the brand. They’re the reason you’ll stop by the local M&M Food Market. We also wanted to reflect on how people already mix and match our products. Apps for dinner? Why not! We wanted the campaign to show that there are many different ways to enjoy our products unapologetically, surrounded by all the comforts of home.
LBB> Who directed the spots, and what made them the right choice for the job?
Anthony> The films were directed by Gemma Warren of Steam Films. Her work in fashion and music videos exhibited a unique eye for unique angles and perspectives, and we loved how non-commercial it is. There was a quirkiness to her work as well which leaned into the tone we were going for: understated and dry with a touch of wit.
LBB> And as a whole, how did you bring the food to life, and make it look delicious on camera?
Anthony> When it came to food-styling, we wanted the food to look delicious but, at the same time, real. This meant ridding ourselves of preconceived notions of what food should look like in advertising and embracing the imperfections of the everyday, like cakes that are cut with a fork, burgers that leak sauce, and appetisers that are double-dipped.
Specifically, for the burger, we didn’t want this to be slapstick, so we simply approached this the way we would if we were at this barbecue. We looked at the menu and pushed the limits of our imagination and appetite. Everyone around the writers’ table agreed this beauty of a burger would be something we would all want to eat, but it also pushed the limit of the human jaw.
LBB> The narrator and the accompanying music both fit the vibe perfectly. Who did you work with for both these aspects, and how did they come to life?
Anthony> We worked with Berkley to find Tessa Flannery. Tessa’s performance was understated and inquisitive, and brought a touch of Rachel Weisz in ‘The Lobster’. The audio needed to pull the viewer into the moment without overtly selling in the way ads tend to do.
The music, also composed by Berkley Studios, was inspired by scores composed to bring a sense of curiosity and intrigue to these unorthodox situations. Audio is a powerful tool in storytelling, and creating the right mood to match our visual styling was integral to the piece.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Anthony> When you have a great partner, all challenges are overcome as a collective. Both client and agency aligned on our unapologetic world early, and together we pushed ourselves to discover just how far we could take it. The challenge lay more in knowing when we’d crossed the line, and when we’d struck the right note of ‘excited yet uncomfortable’.
Greg> Believe it or not, it was a pretty smooth process. It really was a collective effort from the get-go, as we shared the same ambitions and were transparent throughout the journey. We held each other accountable for delivering the core creative strategy and sought input from the target shopper when needed, to set our brand apart.
LBB> What has the response to the campaign been like?
Geraldine> I think a lot of people can see themselves in this campaign. It just has that unique realistic quality to it that feels both universal and special!
Greg> So far, the campaign response has been great, and audience engagement levels have been strong across all channels (OOH, digital and social). Formal mid-campaign results to follow.
LBB> How does this campaign fit into M&M Food Market’s branding for 2023 and beyond?
Greg> This campaign really connects with the millennial audience by giving the brand more purpose, while tapping into the emotional connection we have with so many of our customers - demonstrating all the greatness of eating at home, beyond just saving them money. We want to pursue that cultural momentum and keep building on the modernity this campaign started to establish for us.
LBB> Do you have any favourite food habits that come with only eating at home?
Anthony> App night is a staple in our house, and since working with M&M Food Market, even more so!
Greg> Yes, definitely. Let me paint a quick picture for you. Your day has been wall-to-wall busy with meetings or projects. You make it home through rush hour on a packed train or in gridlock traffic. You walk through your door and it hits you… What’s for dinner!? But you open the freezer and staring at you is our ‘Thai Party Pack’ and some honey garlic chicken wings. You pop it in the air fryer, change into your favourite sweatpants, pour yourself a drink, and get comfy in front of the TV to finish that show everyone’s been talking about. That’s what we call ‘Apps for Dinner’, and it’s a favourite among our fans. The Thai Party Pack comes with a delicious orange ginger sauce, but mixing and matching dips creates delicious combinations, so don’t forget a pour of our signature ‘Thai Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce’ next to a hearty dollop of ‘Buttermilk Dill Dipping Sauce’ for an incredible double-dipping experience… Although we won’t judge you if your ride or die is the ‘Plum Dipping Sauce’.
Now, try doing any of that in a restaurant without getting strange looks from the other patrons!
