[Marketing Week] Bob Koigi: From mashups to bold marketing: The new playbook for food brands

In an increasingly competitive market, food brands are stepping out of their comfort zones and reimagining both product and partnership. From limited-edition mashups to eye-catching installations, legacy and challenger brands alike are embracing bold creativity to remain relevant and irresistible to modern audiences.

Heinz and Smoothie King’s newly launched Tomato Ketchup Smoothie is a prime example of meme-worthy innovation. Leaning into a long-standing internet joke “If tomatoes are a fruit, is ketchup a smoothie?” the brands have answered with a tongue-in-cheek product: a smoothie that blends strawberries, acai sorbet and Heinz Simply Ketchup.

In the UK, two high street giants, KFC and Greggs, have teamed up for a novel, nostalgic activation: the Gravy Meets Pastry tour. The campaign brings together Greggs’ iconic sausage rolls and KFC’s cult-favourite gravy in a product crossover that’s more than just a publicity stunt.

Meanwhile, Waitrose has taken a more visual, playful route in its effort to cut through the clutter of summer advertising. In collaboration with creative agency Wonderhood Studios and media partners, the supermarket chain has installed giant 3D billboards in London, featuring an oversized kebab skewer bursting through an ad with the line: “Anything is a kebab if you put a skewer through it!” This cheeky yet premium activation taps into seasonal behaviour and reminds customers to experiment in the kitchen.

Campaigns of the week

Raleigh, the iconic British bicycle brand that has been shaping the streets since 1887, kicks off a new chapter. In collaboration with digital agency DEPT®, the brand is launching an entirely new brand platform, including a European campaign centered around the electric Raleigh ONE.

NYX Professional Makeup is partnering with Netflix to celebrate the Season 2 premiere of Wednesday with a limited-edition capsule collection featuring four makeup products inspired by unique characters from the show's universe.

Levi’s has released The Denim Cowboy, the final installment in its year-long REIIMAGINE campaign, marking a bold culmination of its creative partnership with Beyoncé. The film brings together elements from previous campaign chapters.

Agencies and accounts

Healthy recipe box brand Mindful Chef has named The Or as its creative agency of record. The agency will be responsible for developing Mindful Chef’s first brand platform as it looks to broaden its reach across the UK.

Quick-service restaurant brand DQ has appointed Colle McVoy as its creative agency of record. The Minneapolis-based agency will lead the brand’s creative strategy, digital, and social efforts as DQ looks to reposition itself as a full meal destination within a rapidly evolving QSR landscape.

Partnerships and acquistions

Kantar has finalised the sale of its Kantar Media business to H.I.G. Capital, marking a strategic move to sharpen its focus on core areas such as brand strategy and marketing effectiveness.

Nielsen and WPP Media have entered into a new agreement that will expand audience measurement across TV, streaming, audio, and cross-platform advertising through Nielsen ONE.

Rockbot has partnered with TikTok to bring short-form mobile video into real-world spaces across the United States. The collaboration expands TikTok’s Out of Phone initiative and introduces its content to TV screens in gyms, restaurants, airports, and retail locations through Rockbot’s digital out-of-home (DOOH) platform.

Captains of Industry

At a time when many agency networks are retrenching, The Relevance Group (TRG) is charting a bold, forward-looking path, expanding its footprint and reimagining what a modern marketing and data services group should be. Leading this transformation is Andreas Hannemann, a seasoned innovator in both creative and data-led marketing.

Startups weekly update

Berlin-based Bling, Germany's banking app for families, has acquired Hamburg-based startup Finstep, to expand its own educational offerings with in-depth, didactically high-quality learning content.

ValGenesis, a global player in digital validation lifecycle management has secured a strategic financing of $16 million from the Innovation Banking Group at Bridge Bank. This financing will help fuel ValGenesis’ global expansion plans and accelerate product innovation, particularly in artificial intelligence-powered validation solutions.

Other major news of the week

Nestlé remains the most valuable food brand in the world for the tenth consecutive year, according to the 2025 Food & Drink ranking by Brand Finance. With a brand value of USD 20.0 billion, the Swiss multinational continues to lead the global food sector, maintaining a gap of over USD 7.0 billion ahead of second-ranked Lay’s, valued at USD 12.7 billion.

IPG Health has unveiled LivingMirror, a new AI-driven tool designed to transform how pharmaceutical and life sciences brands conduct market research.

Bob Koigi is the editor-in-chief of Marketing Report.One

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