Harmony Korine Channels Fellini for Velveeta's Cheesy Rebrand

The key to a living a more lavishly luxe life? Eat more Velveeta processed cheese product!

The venerable Kraft Heinz brand launched a big rebrand this week. Spots draw inspiration from Italian auteur Federico Fellini, while fresh logo and design elements just drip off the page.

Fellini’s cinematic style was unapologetically indulgent and often quite cheesy. That vibe informs flighty films from Johannes Leonardo and director Harmony Korine (who made features like Spring Breakers and The Beach Bum).

Themed “That’s La Dolce Velveeta”—a play on Fellini’s 1960 classic La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life)—the work shows everyday folks mowing laws, lounging in pools and sitting down to tea. Velveeta shows up unexpectedly in each slightly askew scenario. The imperious strains of “O Mio Babbino Caro” provide a suitably silly soundtrack.

This :60 anthem spreads it on thick and gooey:

These :15s offer lighter (but still gratuitously gloppy) fare:

Some commentators have noted the disconnect between all-American Velveeta and the campaign’s Euro-tacky leanings. Fair enough. For us, however, the conceit bends without breaking—just like a certain tower in Pisa! Strained metaphors aside, the work’s wacky enough to draw eyeballs and feels novel for the category. Besides, it’s not meant to be taken too seriously. We think.

“Instead of couching the product in the usual table setting, or worse, hiding it until some reveal at the end, we celebrated it throughout,” say JL group creative directors Jeph Burton and Hunter Hampton. “It’s the new accessory indicative of the mindset you wish you had. So, instead of trying to play inside the CPG category, we turned Velveeta into a lifestyle brand.”

Every brand’s a lifestyle brand these days. Just ask Petco.

As for the new logo and visual identity, Jones Knowles Ritchie delivers a look that’s “simpler, bolder, creamier, and more expressive,” per campaign materials. “With this redesign, Velveeta now fully embraces its cheesy drip and creaminess and is using its logo to amplify this, too.”

CREDITS

KH/Velveeta Clients
Adam Butler: President – Kids, Snacks and Beverages
Caroline Boulos: GM – Easy Meals Made Better
Matthew Carpenter: Marketing Director – Quick Prep Meals
Matthew Belfanti: Associate Marketing Director – Velveeta Shells & Cheese
Leah Bowman: Associate Brand Manager – Velveeta Shells & Cheese Communications
Maya McDonald: Marketing Activation Lead – Easy Meals Made Better
Sergio Nahuz: President – Meal Foundations and Coffee
Vikram Singh: GM – Cheese
Anne Field: Director – Cheese Equity and Platform Development
Eric Perkins: Marketing Brand Manager – Velveeta Recipe Cheese
Allison Mueller: Sr. Marketing Analyst – Velveeta Recipe Cheese

MRA
Rick Katzen: Senior Production Advisor

Johannes Leonardo

Creative
Jan Jacobs: Founder
Julia Neumann: CCO
Jeph Burton: Group Creative Director
Hunter Hampton: Group Creative Director
Jono Flannery: Creative Director
Laura Osborne: Creative Director
Lannie Hartley: Senior Copywriter
Andrew Chin: Senior Art Director
Zoe Myers: Copywriter
Matt Barton: Art Director

Strat & Comms
Jonathan Deves: Strategy Director
Casey Donahue: Associate Director of Communications Strategy

Accounts
Elektra O’Malley: Group Account Director
Jack Beck: Account Director
Caroline Variano: Account Director
Kiana Grant: Account Supervisor
Abbye Rhodes: Account Manager

Production
Maria Perez: Head of Production
Brett Fisher: Group Executive Producer
Kelly Treadway: Senior Producer
Rose Mahan: Producer
Kelly Appleton: Producer
Jes Jones: Business Affairs

Design
Joseph Desaro: Design Director
Helen Ratner: Senior Designer
Peter Dommermüth: Junior Designer

JKR – Rebranding Work
Agency: Jones Knowles Ritchie
Global Chief Creative Officer: Tosh Hall
CEO, North America: Sara Hyman
Executive Creative Director: Lisa Smith
Group Creative Director: JB Hartford
Design Director: Apirat Infahsaeng
Senior Designer: Anna Ison
Designer: Olivia Kane
Copy Director: Morgan Doff
Copywriter: Danny Scheyer
Content Producer & Editor: Jeremy Liebman
Motion Designer: Griffin Keller
Group Account Director: Laura Wall
Group Account Director: Sharon Wanamaker
Account Director: Nell Strizich
Account Manager: Tirsa Tavarez
Group Strategy Director: Hayley Burnham
Senior Strategist: Elisabeth Powell
Senior Brand Realization Designer: Linda Strong
Senior Production Designer: John Colón
Senior Integrated Project Manager: Clarem Gonzalez
Producer: Deanna Nolasco
Photographer / Director: The Kaplans at Sarah Laird & Good Company
Shoot Production: We Are Good Company
Editor: Jake Armstrong at Whitehouse Post
Colorist: Michael Rossiter at The Mill
VFX / Finishing: The Mill