Philadelphia Cream Cheese Streams Original Song and Releases Its TikTok

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Dive summary:

• Philadelphia Cream Cheese has commissioned an original song, “Land of the Cream Cheese,” sung by rising country singer-songwriter Travis Yee, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.

• The song is available on major music platforms and will be released on TikTok and Instagram via a music video, 15-second paid spots and recipe duets. The campaign was developed and executed by Gut Miami with support from Carat US for paid media and Zeno Group for PR.

• Kraft Heinz’s campaign taps into the popularity of cream cheese recipes on TikTok with a song that touches on themes of America ahead of Independence Day.

Dive Overview:

Philadelphia is celebrating the Fourth of July with an original country song that celebrates patriotism and Americans’ penchant for putting cream cheese — as the lyrics say — on bagels, in pasta, in coffee, in slow cookers and cheesecakes, with vegetables, and at breakfast or dinner. The campaign comes as consumers, put off by rising grocery prices, are cooking more at home.

“As an iconic brand that has been around for over 150 years, Philadelphia shares the passion of our fans who proudly use our cream cheese to make anything and everything creamier,” said Keenan White, Senior Brand Manager, in a statement. “We are excited to recognize the fervor of fans in a way that has never been done before and let them know that we see and appreciate their devotion to cream cheese.”

The campaign is inspired by social media and is intended to be widely distributed, particularly on TikTok, where cream cheese recipes number more than 132 million, according to details shared by the brand. The campaign includes a variety of elements for TikTok and Instagram, including teasers, a music video featuring user-generated content (UGC) and overlays of flags, eagles and fireworks, 15-second spots over a montage of UGC, original content from artists and recipe duets in front of an American flag in the background.

As a branded original song, “Land of the Cream Cheese” seems like it would fit right in at country radio, with its paeans to patriotism and the American dream. The song’s chorus is a recipe for America: among other things, “a spoonful of freedom, a spoonful of courage” and “a big ol’ chunk of that cream cheese.” Singer Yee first gained popularity singing covers on social media and has 1 million followers on TikTok under the handle @asiancountrysinger.

The “Land of the Cream Cheese” campaign is the latest in a series of creative projects from the Kraft Heinz brand. As the pandemic dragged on, Philadelphia offered therapy to couples stuck at home, then pivoted to a multi-sensory dining concept for frazzled consumers. The brand also toyed with gaming consoles and a device that turns anything into a bagel.