Kecap ABC claims higher market share from 'Real Husbands Cook' campaign

Kecap ABC has claimed that its market share has risen by 10% in Indonesia since the launch of its brand purpose campaign Real Husbands Cook in October 2018.Speaking to Marketing Interactive, CCO Venkatagiri Rao of VMLY&R SEA & India, the creative agency behind the campaign, said the campaign has also helped Kecap ABC increase its brand differentiation by 20%. VMLY&R Asia is the creative and branding agency behind the campaign.Faced with market leaders with large share of shelf and spend, the agency chose to shift the conversation from excellence in cooking to gender equality through cooking. Despite the risks of taking on a culturally sensitive subject, Kecap ABC decided to go ahead with Real Husbands Cook to make a real difference in the lives of Indonesian married couples. Since the campaign was launched, over 175,000 men have been documented to take their first step towards becoming a "real husband" and learning how to cook.The campaign is an ongoing one, with the most recent execution being a Ramadan-specific effort urging men to cook with their wives before fasting (Sahur). The video released on YouTube last month saw more than 10 million views to date.[embed]https://youtu.be/5Krex4QMWsA[/embed]"As an iconic cooking brand in Indonesia, Kecap ABC has the credibility to shoulder this purpose and the will to drive it for the time it takes to make the change. The initial success with our executions gives us the confidence that we are on the right path," added Dhiren Amin, head of marketing for Indonesia at Kecap ABC's parent company, Kraft Heinz.In a statement to Marketing Interactive, the company highlighted that the reality of the gender roles has shifted with 60% of housewives in Indonesia working. However, there has been a lack of sharing of cooking responsibilities with less than three out of 10 men admitting to having ever stepped in the kitchen to cook."We believed that behaviour change could only be impacted through believable actions of real people, not propaganda. Therefore, our executions were rooted in real acts and experiences, not advertisements," added VMLY&R's Rao.In the lead up to Mother's Day last year on 22 December, the campaign tackled another uncomfortable Indonesian reality – the rise in divorces, with 70% of them being initiated by the wives. A cultural deep dive revealed that the lack of equality was the first trigger to a crumbling marriage, said VMLY&R.In response, a video was released on social media, telling the story of a repentant husband who realises his lack of support for his wife in the kitchen. The film, which was also aired on television, directed husbands to the online Real Husbands Cooking Academy "Akademi Suami Sejati", where they can learn how to cook and get a certificate.Additionally, the academy also went live and on-ground to four cities in Indonesia, where over 1500 men were brought together and taught to cook simple, effective meals with Kecap ABC, and awarded a ‘Real Husband’ certificate.Read more: Heinz’s Sambal ABC collaborates with AXA to launch world’s first spice insurance Kraft Heinz ropes in Deadpool to ‘sell out’ sandwiches Kraft Heinz picks Saatchi & Saatchi to handle creative duties across SEA Kraft Heinz picks VML Indonesia as digital partner