Oatly Launches Plant-Primarily based Cream Cheese Solely in Philadelphia

A person wearing a period-perfect Benjamin Franklin costume—recognized as an “reasonably priced impersonator”—tastes a brand new product and declares it “truly not that dangerous.”

And if you happen to don’t consider one of many founding fathers of our nation (or his considerably affordable facsimile), then how concerning the faint reward of a shirtless tattooed man, an Olympic coach, a priest and a lawyer?

These people seem in a testimonial-style video for Oatly‘s latest product, a plant-based cream cheese that touts its Philadelphia bona fides by way of a parade of native luminaries previous and current. 

The over 2-minute-long vignette additionally reinforces the model’s off-kilter humorousness with feedback which are clearly unscripted and unrehearsed, from building employees, lunch buddies, youth soccer gamers and deli house owners. These interviewed usually discover the cream cheese to be… fairly OK? Effusive reward from folks on the road isn’t Oatly’s advertising and marketing jam.

Whereas the marketing campaign is on-brand in its tone, the product launch is a slight departure in that it occurs in a single metropolis solely earlier than a nationwide rollout. To assist introduce the sneak preview, orchestrated by the in-house Oatly Division of Thoughts Management, Philly native and Olympic medalist Tara Lipinski appeared at an occasion this week for the “ceremonial first unfold.”

As Philly as scrapple?

The model took pains in its information launch to flex the cream cheese’s Philly roots, together with tossing round Philly-isms like scrapple, youse, wooder, jawn, Delco and iggles.

Oatly’s cream cheese was crafted within the model’s Philadelphia R&D lab by its group of meals scientists, “most of whom reside in downtown Philadelphia, apart from a product developer who lives in Cherry Hill, N.J. however tells folks he’s from ‘5 miles exterior town.’”

And in case there was any confusion, the model added that the product was “once more, invented in Philadelphia by principally Philadelphia-based meals scientists” and “shall be made completely obtainable in Philadelphia earlier than it’s launched to the broader U.S. market later this yr.”

The objective is to win over a crowd that ostensibly is aware of its stuff the place cream cheese is worried, and develop into a part of the cultural material like “greased road poles, Gritty and the 2006 movie Invincible,” per the model, which additionally has line extensions like frozen treats and non-dairy bars.

“Chicago deep dish, Wisconsin cheese, Manhattan clam chowder—each area has their culinary masterpiece, and so we’re utilizing this second to rejoice and acknowledge the great place the place our plant-based cream cheese was invented: within the metropolis of cohesion,” Armando Turco, govt director of brand name and inventive for Oatly North America, informed Adweek.

Two native chains, Unfold Bagelry and Philly Bagels, are companions for the debut, serving up the brand new product via March 31 or whereas provides final. Media publicity for the collaboration consists of out-of-home placements and adverts in Philadelphia Journal and The Philadelphia Inquirer. There are additionally social posts on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.