Philadelphia Cream Cheese Will Now Pay for Your Couples Therapy

So, you’re sharing a romantic dinner with your one true love. Adorable. But at the end of the night, how do you decide who gets the last bite of creamy-dreamy cheesecake? Sharp forks at 20 paces seems drastic. You could cut that piece in half. It’s all so confusing!

Enter Philadelphia Cream Cheese, which celebrates Valentine’s Day by offering an escape from this “last-bite dilemma” in the form of personal cheesecake servings you don’t have to share.

Creative agency GUT helps Philly introduce these Cheesecake Crumbles by offering free samples plus a chance to win $150 toward couples therapy in a promo running through Feb. 14.

In the cute clip below, Bachelor Nation sweethearts Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon work through their dessert-related issues:

They’re a couple in real life and on reality TV—what’s not to trust? (She should have forked him! And does that couples counsellor pop in for lunch every day?)

“Thanks to shared desserts, we’ve all experienced the last-bite dilemma in some shape or form before. And thanks to the pandemic, we’ve all had to share way more than usual,” notes Nicole Kulwicki, general manager of desserts at Philly parent company Kraft Heinz. “We’re sharing our living space, working space, play space, eating space, and even our cheesecake. Which is why we feel that this product couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Might some folks accuse the brand of, well, bad taste for poking fun at interpersonal issues that might well transcend debates over who gets the last nibble of cake? (As you might recall, a kerfuffle unfolded last fall when Kraft tried using the old noodle.)

“Our campaign will definitely stand out among all the other traditional lovey-dovey Valentine’s Day campaigns, and that was the intent,” Kulwicki says. “There is a lot of data out right now about how couples are actually struggling to communicate and cope with each other during the pandemic, and we’re providing one small way to help. And what’s more romantic than healthy communication?”

The creative team devised the approach, appropriately enough, “while out to lunch,” she says. “They were sharing a slice of cheesecake for dessert and the copywriter shamelessly took the last bite, leaving the art director unhappy. A debate commenced until they did a little research and found that they weren’t the only ones experiencing this phenomenon. They found that the ‘last-bite dilemma’ is recognized by psychology with the technical term, ‘the diffusion of entitlement.’ Once the creatives realized they weren’t the only ones fighting over the last bite, a campaign was born.”

Hey, GUT creatives, next time order more dessert and expense it to Kraft. They’re all about spreading the love!

Meanwhile, the company’s V-Day Mac & Cheese promo seems a bit much, with its “hints of sweet, sweet candy flavor” and retina-searing neon-pinkness. (You can have the last bite. In fact, take it ALL. I insist!)

CREDITS

Client: Philadelphia Cheesecake Crumble 

Steve Cornell: President 
Nicole Kulwicki: General Manager
Andrea Sanchez: Associate Director
Shahzar Mirza: Associate Brand Manager
Allison Mueller: Senior Marketing Analyst
Terrence De Jesus: Consumer Insights Manager
Sarah D Young: Manager, Culinary 
Lynne Galia: Head of Communications
Liz Janz: Manager – Brand Activation
Rick Katzen: MRA, Senior Prod. Advisor

Agency of Record: GUT

Anselmo Ramos: Founder, CCO
Paulo Fogaça: COO, Partner
Carmen Rodriguez: Chief Client Officer, Partner
Ricardo Casal: ECD, Partner
Juan Javier Peña Plaza: ECD, Partner
Guido Fusetti: Head of Art
Brynna Aylward: Creative Director
Sofia Rosell: Sr. Art Director
Wonsik Cho: Copywriter
Renata Neumann: Head of Production
Solana Froment: Producer
Monique Beauchamp Estrella: Account Director
Veronica Perez: Senior Account Executive
Wilmarie Velez: Account Supervisor
Cristina Cornejo Ayala: Creative Manager
Sam Lemoine: Content Director
Sai He: Senior Copywriter
Nefari Steele: Community Manager
Bruno Steffen: Associate Strategy Director

Music & Sound Design – Animal Music 
Alberto Farinas: Executive Producer 
Raul Garcia: Music Producer

Media Agency: Publicis57

Jessica Schrey: Director
Paul Pham: Associate Director
Danielle Parker: Media Supervisor
Joey Molloy: Senior Associate

Promotion Agency: Merkle, Inc.

Tracy Crawford: Account Director 
Danielle Gianakis: Client Services 
Liz Roeder: Senior Producer 
Nicole Cox: Copywriter 
Karl Conle: Senior Software Engineer
Lora Chabot: Senior Quality Assurance Specialist
Michael Peters: Winner Experience Project Lead 
Casey Brandenburg: Senior Legal Analyst ​

Public Relations: Alison Brod Marketing + Communications

Brooke Scher Mogan: Senior Vice President
Adrianna Lauricella: Vice President
Francesca Salcedo: Senior Director
Erika Berg: Account Supervisor
Nicole Dosso: Account Coordinator