CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- An edgy advertising campaign by Kraft appears to have misfired.
According to Ad Age, the Kraft Heinz brand hired Mischief @ No Fixed Address to find a fresh way to promote its mainstay macaroni and cheese around National Noodle Day, which was Oct. 6. The effort encouraged people to reach out to friends and family by sending “noods”— as in noodles - like the blue boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese.
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The short-lived "send noods" campaign was supposed to be silly fun about noodles, but it stirred up some controversy with parents.
In an online video for the campaign—now deleted from the brand’s social channels and YouTube page—former “Saturday Night Live” star Vanessa Bayer speaks about sending “noods” not “nudes.”
"In these strange times, people are in need of extra comfort. That's why it is always a nice gesture to send noods, so they know you are thinking of them. Noods, I mean, not nudes...In the even that there is any confusion about this, let's take a step back. Always send noods. Never nudes. The only thing that you should never not send is noods."
The campaign has mostly disappeared from social media after complaints about it sexualizing kids' food.
But, a Kraft spokesperson told Ad Age, the company did send out 20,000 blue boxes to customers who responded - sending pictures of noodles to Kraft.
“For National Noodle Day last Tuesday, Kraft Mac and Cheese encouraged adults to send free noodles to loved ones to provide comfort and make them smile,” Kraft Heinz spokeswoman Lynne Galia said in a statement. “The social promotion resulted in over 20,000 consumers across the country receiving boxes of America’s favorite Kraft Mac and Cheese. We’re always listening to our consumers and appreciate the feedback.”
That feedback, according to Ad Age, came in the form of hashtags such as #BoycottKraft and #CancelKraft. A Change.org petition signed by nearly 500 people as of Tuesday afternoon suggested the campaign “is intended to be humorous, but totally misses the mark with their target audience,” and asks the brand to “listen to the voices expressing their concerns on your social accounts.”