Knorr Canada has launched its new Knorr Flavour Bases with a campaign that allocates a larger share of investment to social media, which the brand says reflects the channel’s growing importance for reaching modern home cooks and monitoring emerging consumer trends.

At the core of the campaign is the interactive “Kuffing Challenge,” in which pairs of influencers attempt to cook while physically bound together, using Knorr Flavour Bases as the key ingredient.

Rameez Gulam, general manager of foods at Unilever Canada, tells Media in Canada that the media strategy prioritizes creator-led collaborations on TikTok and Instagram, where the product’s multiple uses can be demonstrated in real time. “Given [Knorr Flavour Bases] is a new format for us, education on how to use it is essential,” he notes. Across all tactics, the brand intentionally emphasizes the product’s versatility and seeks platform-native approaches to showcase usability.

Social paid amplification supports both creator and brand-owned content to extend reach across Canada. “This approach allows us to stay flexible, responsive and culturally relevant as conversations and trends unfold,” Gulam adds.

Initiative handled the media buy, while Edelman was behind creative, social, influencers and earned media.

He says that the team also built its media approach around the needs and behaviours of its target audience: emerging Gen Z cooks looking for pantry items that fit easily into their routines. Internal research showed that Gen Z Canadians prefer ordering delivery over cooking and often view restaurants as the only viable option for a date. They gravitate toward more informal, low-pressure experiences –like cooking together – and discover food through social content, trusted creators and cultural moments that resonate with them.

“This is a new wave of home cooks who are excited to build their skills (and pantries) but may be less aware of the versatility of bouillon formats,” Gulam says.

Over the past year, Gulam notes that Knorr has increasingly adopted social-media-focused strategies through its “Taste Combos” platform, which aims to encourage quick, affordable home cooking as an alternative to takeout.

In October, as part of that platform, Knorr hosted a live event at a wrestling studio in Toronto aimed at shifting Gen Z’s perception of the brand. The activation’s media plan moved away from TV, prioritizing social content and creator partnerships, particularly on TikTok and Instagram. The brand also worked with a Twitch wrestling streamer to broadcast the event live, given the platform’s popularity among Gen Z. Last year, Knorr leveraged Twitch to launch a global campaign designed to highlight the value of vegetables in online video games while promoting the brand. Targeting 18- to 34-year-olds, the “#modtheveg” initiative encouraged developers to create in-game modifications, or mods, that awarded more points for vegetables, which traditionally offer fewer points than meat-based foods.