Creativity at the Speed of Culture: Q&A with KraftHeinz’s Simon Au
In 2021, KraftHeinz launched an in-house agency with the goal of forming a team that was culturally driven and social first. The Kitchen was born, and today, is home to more than 100 employees (aptly referred to as "Cooks") who manage 15 brands including four brands with $1 billion in ad spend.
The Kitchen practices creative agility, quickly reacting to relevant cultural moments. This agility is the result of breaking down barriers of ownership. A strong rapport with brand managers allows for creative alignment through informal group chats as opposed to layers of formal approvals.
The best part? The Kitchen does not compromise creative quality in these agile workflows. Simon Au, executive creative director of The Kitchen North America, has built a team of award-winning creative minds challenging the notion that great creative takes time to develop. Simon and his fellow "Cooks" are showing the entire industry that the secret to nimble, on-brand, and culturally minded marketing lies in-house.
Simon is one of our featured speakers at the 2024 ANA In-House Agency Conference, taking place from May 14 to 16 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. I had the opportunity to sit with Simon prior to the conference to learn more about The Kitchen.
Simon, thank you for your time today. Let's start by talking about in-housing in general. What is the unique advantage in-house agencies have compared to external clients when it comes to quickly responding to or authentically including your brand in cultural moments?
Being in-house gives us a special edge over working with external partners for a few key reasons.
First off, direct communication is a game changer. We're all on the same team, so getting in touch with the brand team is as easy as shooting a message on Teams. This means we can jump on cultural moments without delay, thanks to quick approvals without any bureaucratic red tape.
Then there's the legal support. We've got a tight-knit relationship with the company's lawyers, which helps us navigate through any legal hoops swiftly and efficiently. Also, providing our team training on how to be compliant and when to act.
Lastly, our team lives and breathes the brand's essence day in and day out. This deep connection guarantees that everything we do is authentically aligned with the brand, ensuring its relevance and representation shines through in all our work.
It's clear that being within KraftHeinz is a major benefit for your team. As part of your creative agility strategy, you've taken the stance that The Kitchen owns the decision making on social work to increase your speed to market. How were you able to achieve trust with brand management teams to operate in this proactive way?
Building trust with our brand management teams and giving The Kitchen the freedom to make decisions on social work has been a journey. We've got a transparent, collaborative process in place that keeps everyone in the loop. Upper management gets on board with our vision through roadshows that trickle down to the brand team. It's all about setting clear boundaries and letting creativity flourish within them. And hey, we're not afraid to admit when something doesn't quite hit the mark. We take what we learn and pivot to content that really hits home. That's how we keep growing and evolving.
That's a great point. Developing trust with your internal stakeholders takes time but is well worth it. What are the benchmarks you follow to engage in certain social conversations? What is your advice to those brands concerned about negatively impacting their equity by leaning into trending topics?
When it comes to social conversations, we really believe in being genuine. Especially with gen Z, they can smell fake a mile away. We're not about jumping on trends just for the sake of it—it's got to feel right for us. Our playbooks are like our compass, keeping us on track. But sometimes we're up for taking a bit of a risk. When we do, we always loop in the brand to make sure we're still on the same page. But honestly, most of the time, we're just having a blast, doing amazing work that speaks for itself. We keep it fun, but we're careful not to mess with our brand's vibe.
The Kitchen moves at the speed of culture. You credit this agility to your staff which skew young. How can other in-house agencies attract gen Z talent?
Attracting gen Z talent isn't just about perks and benefits — it's about creating an environment that matters to them. We've found that making work they actually connect with is key. Plus, we've built our own separate identity within KraftHeinz. We've got our own social channels, cool merch, and our Thursday happy hours are legendary. We're all about bringing that traditional agency energy into The Kitchen, and it's what sets us apart – the best of both worlds.
Last, but not least, what are you most looking forward to at the 2024 In-House Agency Conference?
When we kicked off The Kitchen, we were pretty green about how in-house teams were setup. It has been a wild ride, full of ups and downs. I can't wait to swap stories and learn from others. I'm all about soaking up knowledge and finding new ways to level up our game.
Excellent answers! Thank you for time today. I can't wait to see you and plenty of in-house creative leaders at the 2024 ANA In-House Conference in May!
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the ANA or imply endorsement from the ANA.
Peter Kenigsberg is a director of brand & media at the Association of National Advertisers. In his role at the ANA, Peter supports the marketing organization area, which includes in-house agency, marketing procurement, production management, agency relationship management, and marketing operations. Prior to joining the ANA, Peter was an account supervisor at CDM New York, acting as the agency of record for two of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. Peter has an M.B.A. in Marketing and a B.A. double major in pre-law and English.