Kraft Dinner Invites Canadians to Crack a Warm One This Long Weekend

This May 2-4 weekend, many Ontarians will celebrate the return of warm weather with a time-honoured tradition: getting out of town and picking up a 2-4 at the Beer Store on the way to cottages, lake houses and vacation rentals. 

KD’s latest campaign puts a twist on this classic behaviour by helping stock vacation getaway pantries with Kraft Dinner while Canadians stock the fridge with beer. Introducing the ‘KD 2-4:’ the first ever '2-4' of KD mac ‘n cheese cups, created in partnership with The Beer Store. 

How It Works

Starting May 17th, fans can conveniently get their hands on a FREE 24-pack of KD Cups during their next beer run at select Beer Store locations while supplies last. Beer Store locations were strategically selected in many of the most popular vacation destinations across the GTA, Hamilton, Barrie, Collingwood, Gravenhurst and Huntsville to make it as easy as possible for fans to pick up a KD 2-4 on their way out of town.

KD and The Beer Store will promote the campaign through in-store signage at select locations, including on the retailer’s famous wall of beer brands available for sale. Eye-catching digital and OOH assets for the campaign evoke the look and feel of traditional Canadian beer advertisements. This includes wild postings of the beer-inspired OOH creative across the GTA. Both KD and The Beer Store will also take to social to introduce the partnership between and encourage consumer engagement. To drive buzz, traffic and engagement, the campaign leverages digital and paid media as well as paid social.

“KD has been a Canadian icon for the past 80 years and we wanted to celebrate Canada's unofficial start to summer in a way that only KD can. As many Canadians head to the cottage for the long weekend in May, stopping at the Beer Store for their 2-4 is an unheralded tradition. We took the opportunity to piggyback on this consumer behaviour with the KD 2-4, 24 cups of Canada's favourite Mac & Cheese in our most convenient snackable format. Partnering with The Beer Store allows us to bring two Canadian icons together and encourages Canadians to ‘crack a warm one’ as they celebrate the kick off to summer.” said Brian Neumann, head of brand communication at Kraft Heinz Canada.

“When KD approached us with this idea, we knew immediately it would be very fitting for our customers and a celebration of two beloved Canadian brands as we kick off summer. A limited-time customised ‘2-4’ of KD mac n’ cheese cups is so clever, and we are excited to bring this fun to our stores across Ontario.” said Natasha McVie, director of marketing at The Beer Store.

"In developing the KD 2-4 campaign, we leaned into the idea that it really doesn’t get any more Canadian than ‘Grabbing a 2-4 for the May 2-4.’ To us, it just made sense to position KD Cups as the go-to comfort snack for the long weekend in a self-aware way that would resonate with the Canadians who’ve grown up surrounded by classic beer marketing. And as a mac and cheese brand, it was a fun opportunity for us to play in that creative space. So we took all those familiar elements – picturesque mountain backgrounds, sweaty bottles, clinking glasses, and more – and put an engaging and ownable twist on them that remained true to the brand.” said Simon Au, ECD at The Kitchen.