Michael Bolton Belts Out His Love for Panera's New Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese

In his trademark bombastic style, Michael Bolton sings the praises of Panera’s new Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese in a loud, sparkly commercial from Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

The soulful ’90s icon, who never takes himself too seriously, performs a brandtastic take on one of his biggest hits, “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Here, it’s called “When Some Mac Loves Broccoli Cheddar,” extolling the virtues of Panera’s latest menu mashup that combines Broccoli Cheddar Soup with a Mac and Cheese bowl.

Spoiler: There’s fireworks at the end (There had to be, dammit!)

“How do you make a product launch successful?” asks Panera head chef Claes Petersson as the ad opens. “First of all, you need amazing ingredients. Secondly, you need Michael Bolton.”

Dude, you said a cheesy mouthful!

GS&P’s Andrew Butte directed, shooting in Bolton’s music room and at his pool.

“Bolton contacted us,” says GS&P creative director Will Elliott. “He genuinely is a huge fan of Panera.”

The singer grew to appreciate the eatery’s cuisine while ordering deliveries during lockdown and expressed a desire to appear in ads. So, when the time came to launch Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese, the team approached Bolton with the concept, quickly struck a deal, and created the script and lyrics in a week, Eduardo Luz, Panera chief brand and concept officer, tell Muse.

The spot anchors a broader campaign touting several Panera menu additions from Petersson. Let’s hope they bring Bolton back for an encore!

Now, everybody:

“When some mac loves broccoli cheddar,
Can’t keep your mouth on nothin’ else,
Two classic loves swirled into one.
Yes, it’s soup on tender pasta,
It can do no wrong,
Cause creamy cheese and broccoli, loves macaroni.”

CREDITS

PANERA
Director of Brand Marketing: Kelli Nicholson
Manager, Digital Content: Boo Detch
Social Media Coordinator: Georgia Hintz

TALENT
Michael Bolton
Claes Petersson    

CREATIVE AGENCY – GS&P
Creative
Co-Chairmen: Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein
Chief Creative Officer: Margaret Johnson
Creative Director: Will Elliott
Creative Director: Jon Randazzo
Art Director: Mila Wizel
Copywriter: Sophie Lichtman

Account
Managing Partner: Leslie Barrett
Account Director: Ellen Lovoy
Account Manager: Nikki Dietrich
Account Manager: Emily Kelly
Assistant Account Manager: Lauren Benyik

Production
Co-Director of Production: Leila Gage and Margaret Brett-Kearns
Executive Producer: Danielle Riccardi
Producer: Phoebe Buckley

Business Affairs
Director of Business Affairs: Judy Ybarra
Senior Business Affairs Manager: Heidi Killeen    

Production Company
Company Name: GS&P Social
Director: Andrew Butte
Assistant Director: John Antcil
Co-Director of Photography: Mark Sandhoff 
Co-Director of Photography: Inder Mann
Line Producer: Genevieve McCarty

Editorial Company
Company Name: eLevel 
Director of Post Production: Michael Damiani
Editor: Erik Johnson
Assistant Editor: Jocelyn Carranza

Hair/Makeup/Wardrobe
Hair & Makeup for Mr. Bolton: Melissa Dezarate    
Hair & Makeup for Mr. Petersson: Averi Rasmussen 
Wardrobe Stylist: Keith Nielsen
Wardrobe Assistant: Allison Kirstukas