2026 Winner

Kraft Dinner needed to reconnect with younger audiences as newer, trendier brands pulled Gen Z attention away from the category icon. To win back cultural ground, the brand doubled down on what made it distinctive, reframing its purpose around unapologetic self-expression and “keeping it cheesy.” The refresh rebuilt the entire brand world from its core assets, expanding its blue-and-yellow palette, introducing a custom typeface inspired by the product itself and layering in hand-drawn doodles that balanced product storytelling with personal expression. A new photography system rooted in real moments and lived-in settings, with a subtle fisheye perspective, gave the brand a modern visual language. The result reestablished KD as a cultural player, driving a 4-point lift in Gen Z purchases and sustained gains in loyalty and spend.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Executive Creative Director: Hans Thiessen
ACD: Mark Mabey
Designer: Mark Mabey, Thomas Hadfield, Brandon Methner
Group Production Lead - Integrated: AJ Merrick
Producer: Venus Pun
Studio Manager: Todd Bennett
Proofreader: Davina Haisell
Font Foundry: James Edmondson, OH no Type Company
Animator: Jesse Shaw
Lead Strategist: Julian Morgan
Strategist: Jayne Stymiest
Account Services: Allie Kennedy, Jamie Faltl, Katherine Ly, Madeline Birkhold
Client: Brian Neumann, Nicole Hutinec, Rick Mavrinac, Heather Wogden, Barbara Cooper