Kroger Makes Seasonal Food the Star of its Animated Short

Jordan P. Kelley, Content Director, Brand Storytelling

Want weekly exclusive brand storytelling content like this direct to your inbox? Subscribe to the Brand Storytelling Newsletter.

Three years ago, supermarket brand Kroger went through a visual branding overhaul, updating the look and feel of its name-brand and affiliated stores (like Ralphs, Food 4 Less, and others). One fun addition to the company's brand identity was the creation of "Krojis", animated characters whose name is a playful combination of Kroger and emoji. With Krojis, Kroger has found its way into creating brand animated shorts, featuring heartwarming stories created to resonate with the wide range of Americans that make up the Kroger consumer base while simultaneously spotlighting seasonal recipes and food that can be found in Kroger stores.

Just in time for the holidays, Kroger's latest animated short, "The Magical Cookbook," introduces a Kroji named Jack - a widower and grandfather feeling lonely at holiday time. When Jack finds his late wife's old recipe book and digs into a puff pastry bite, he's transported to happier holiday times, and ultimately reminded by his granddaughter that delicious memories are best made with family.

The film is featured on the Kroger website and aptly paired with recipes for food that appears in the film like puff pastry bites, apple pie, and herb-roasted turkey. Customers can also shop a selection of Kroger ingredients online for making meals befitting the Thanksgiving table. For kids, the site features a downloadable coloring book filled with stills from the film for kids to color accompanied by recipes for the food featured in the film.

Kroger's strategy to inspire holiday recipes and make shopping for the necessary ingredients easy makes their invention and use of Kroji characters in this way a no-brainer. It's a charming and effective way to get viewers excited about creating recipes at home to share with loved ones at gatherings throughout the holiday season. The inclusion of the recipes in the children's coloring book that accompanies the film is a great way to inspire kids to take part in holiday food prep and reinforces Kroger's goal of bringing family together around food.

About Jordan P. Kelley

Jordan P. Kelley is the Content Director at BrandStorytelling. He is the author of BrandStorytelling's twice weekly newsletter and editor of the Brand Storytelling Forbes Brand Voice Page. He is an avid brand film and advertising trendwatcher and considers himself a "Professional Audience Member".