Velveta is planning a return trip.

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Sales of the cheese product that food consumers love to hate have been in decline for years. Then the epidemic hit, and suddenly it was crowded, with people from home looking for Velveeta for their requests, fudge, and extra cheese mac and cheese. The sudden interest in the brand presented a rare opportunity to re-introduce itself to new customers and those who hadn’t bought Velveta in years.

“We recognized this as a huge business opportunity,” said Kelsey Rice, Velveta’s senior brand communications manager.

Velveta wanted a big swing, not just to increase sales, but to establish itself as part of the culture. “We think Velveeta is a popular brand and should be seen and seen as such,” she said.

To change his image, Velveta had to change the way he talked about himself.

That means fewer ads about affordable, melty cheese and more marketing gimmicks like cheese-flavored nail polish and pricey Velveta Martinis.

Velvetta Veltini is part of Velvetta's new marketing campaign, La Dolce Velvetta.

A cheese star is born

According to Smithsonian Magazine, Velveta was born in 1918. It was the brainchild of a Swiss cheese maker named Emil Frey who made the product from cheese scraps while working at the Monroe Cheese Company in Monroe, New York. The Velveta Cheese Company was incorporated in 1923, operating out of Monroe and purchased. Craft (Different) In 1927

Asked about the brand’s history, the representative said: Kraft introduced Velveeta in 1928, a year after it funded a cheese produced at Rutgers University, he points to a 2005 book by Kraft, “The Best of Sliced ​​Cheese.” Growing up.

In the year In the late 1920s, Kraft was called by a woman named Velveta.

A 1929 ad aimed at retailers stated, “Never in the history of the business have we brought to market a cheese product that has had such an immediate success as Velveta. “It looks like a perfect product.”

Velveta & # 39;  Marketing has evolved over the years.

Not only is Velveeta “delicious” and “healthy,” the ad continues, “it spreads like butter” and melts easily when cooked.

Brand marketing has evolved with the times. In the year A 1940s ad touted velveteen as a smart wartime ingredient, offering a recipe for velveteen pudding with Spanish sauce, “a staple that will save you ration points.”

An ad from the 1950s advised young mothers to “make your desserts velvety and fresh while you’re watching your weight and trying to get the dairy nutrients you need.”

In the 1970s, Velveta was a global phenomenon. In the year A 1976 New York Times article called Velveta a “worldwide favorite,” and Kraft’s foreign sales grew 12 percent from 1974 to 1975, thanks to it.

In the following decades, the consumption of American manufactured cheese continued to increase. In the year In 1996, consumption peaked at 8.75 pounds, according to the USDA. Then things took a turn for the worse.

Product not food

Two decades ago, consumption began to decline. People are concerned about the health effects of highly processed foods and are starting to eat more natural cheese.

To make matters worse for Velveeta, in 2002 the FDA sent a letter to Kraft warning Kraft that it could no longer use the term Velveeta to describe it because it was made with milk protein concentrate. So Velveta went from processed cheese to cheese production – even today, the company Velveta concentrates with milk protein and offers calls. it is. A pasteurized cheese production recipe.
As consumer attitudes changed, Velveta began to improve its advertising. Commercials have shown that Velveeta can be used to create a side dish as simple as a cheese dip that is more suitable for a party than for dinner.
Velvet shells on the supermarket shelves last year.

Despite changing its marketing approach, Velveta stuck to a few clear messages. The product is easy to handle. It is affordable. Walmart’s website shows a 32-ounce package of Velveeta selling for about $6.50. And most importantly, it can melt.

Years after being on the market, processed cheeses still melt better than natural cheeses like cheddar, says Chad Galler, vice president of food safety and product research for the dairy trade association Milk Management Inc. He explained that processed cheese contains ingredients that allow it to melt into a gel-like state when heated. When natural cheese is heated, oil is released, which gives it a spherical texture.

“We’re trying to make a natural cheese melt like Velveeta,” says Galler. But we haven’t opened that yet.

That unique melting quality has been the focus of Velveeta’s advertising for most of its life, Rice said. Now, he’s trying something new.

Velvet nails and martinis

In the year In 2018, Velveta’s sales fell 4.5% to $1.1 billion, according to IAI. In the year In 2019, sales decreased again – by about 2.4%.

However, during the pandemic, Velveta took advantage of people’s interest in convenience foods and easy-to-cook meals. By 2020, Velveta’s sales had increased by about 24 percent.

To capitalize on that move, the brand created a new identity. In the words of Rice, “Velveta lives to make outrageous fun a way of life.” The brand has updated its logo and launched a new advertising campaign called La Dolce Velveta to support the change.
In the La Dolce Velveeta ad, a man eats ice cream from an ice cream cone.

Then came the shows.

In June, Velveta started selling cheese-scented nails. More recently, the Veltini – a Velvetta Martini made with cheese-infused vodka and sold in some restaurants or online.
The nail polish has received rave reviews. Veltini… not so much.
A Washington Post writer who ordered the drink at a restaurant described it as “a monstrosity of gooey cheese, with olives like beady eyes and a rimmed mouth full of dripping velvety cheese.” Hoda Kotb of the Today Show reluctantly tried it on air and was not a fan. “Yikes,” she said, “no girl, no.” Colleague Jenna Bush says country isn’t bad.

Bad reviews don’t matter to Velveta, who is usually the center of the joke.

“We’re thrilled with the way Velvetta Veltini has been received around the world,” Rice said. The most important thing is to make people think about Velveta again.

“People pay attention,” says Bob Samples, CEO of Western Michigan University, which teaches students about food and consumer goods marketing when brands make slick marketing moves. “They go to the store, they remember the name, they buy it.”

So far, Velveta seems to contain that epidemic. In the year After a 1.1% decline in 2021, sales rose 3.2% this year through July, IRI said.

As samples see it, Velveta has benefited from the pandemic’s trends towards a high inflation environment. Velveta has a long shelf life, so it may be more attractive now as people try to avoid food waste to save money, he said.

Plus, new ad campaign or not, people know what they’re getting when they buy Velveeta.

“People know what to expect,” Samples said. “The comfort that goes with that,” he said.

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