As affordable and convenient as Stouffer’s products are, a microwaveable meal can’t help but feel a little less satisfying than a home cooked dinner or a restaurant entree eaten in the company of friends. That’s exactly the mentality Stouffer’s new marketing campaign is pushing back on: This new ad reminds consumers that eating a Stouffer’s dinner is only as sad as you choose to make it.
Good on Stouffer’s for offering a healthier perspective on eating frozen food at home alone!
Stouffer’s spared no expenses for their new commercial, which features a revamped brand messaging that encourages frozen dinner consumers to avoid letting Stouffer’s define them. The ad opens with narration over a closeup shot of a pale, overweight man in a dark kitchen, face lit by the faint glow of his microwave: “At Stouffer’s, you aren’t what you eat: you’re what you do after the microwave says your meal is ready,” the voiceover says. The camera dramatically pushes in on the microwave’s digital timer as it ticks down to zero—then, as the man opens the microwave, the kitchen fills with light and steam from a family size Stouffer’s Lasagna, revealing our Stouffer’s consumer is actually on stage at the Grammy Awards, eating his warmed-up meal as he accepts an award for Best New Artist from socially conscious rapper Common.
“You’re not eating Stouffer’s because you’re too depressed to prepare a meal that requires any semblance of effort, or too poor to afford fresh food—you’re eating Stouffer’s because you’re too busy creating your own destiny to cook,” the narrator continues, as we cut to a montage of the man eating from his microwaved Stouffer’s tray while placing first in the Boston Marathon, rescuing children from a burning building, standing up for a woman who’s been catcalled on the streets of New York, and finally finishing the lasagna as President Biden honors him with a Purple Heart. In the commercial’s final shot, the man wipes marinara sauce from his mouth and tears of pride from his eyes with a hand that’s now maimed and fingerless due to his acts of courage during war. “They say a frozen dinner is only as sad as you choose to make it. So go ahead and make your dreams come true. We’ll take care of dinner,” the voiceover concludes.
Yes! We have chills right now!
If you’re a Stouffer’s consumer, this ad has probably put you on cloud nine. What an incredible way to lift the spirits of anyone eating a frozen dinner because they’re depressed and alone. Take note, frozen food brands: this is how you reclaim a product from public stigma!
