Christmas Krojis a Perfect Solution for Kroger

In 2019, Kroger introduced the “Krojis” – cute, big-headed animated characters who’ve served as the grocery brand’s mascots ever since. They got a holiday season makeover in 2022 and now they’re back again, with another heartwarming animated story for the 2024 Christmas season, mixing nostalgia, good food and a hefty helping of the seasonal feelgood factor.

“The Case Of The Disappearing Food” finds one of the Kroji kids helping out a lonely older neighbor by sneaking off with the family’s Christmas food to give the neighbor a surprise festive festive feast. Of course, this doesn’t go unnoticed, but when the family realise why the boy’s been taking the food they get involved in the plan too, and the ad ends with neighbor and Kroji family united in a big holiday dinner.

The simple story, put together by Adam&Eve DDB New York, is well placed to showcase Kroger’s range of products (in animated form) but also stands as an example of the value of sharing and generosity in the holiday season. It’s an ad with a strong feeling of kindness and togetherness and when we tested it with a real audience it’s no surprise they loved it. The ad’s 5.6-Stars predicts exceptional long-term impact given the right investment. And importantly for a seasonal ad, Kroger landed an Exceptional short-term Spike Rating too.

Let’s pick apart some of the elements that make the commercial work so well, drawing on Orlando Wood’s work in Lemon and Look Out and System1’s latest published effectiveness research.

As well as the strong story and vivid characters – whose animated faces allow for plenty of expressiveness – the ad boasts a wonderful nostalgic soundtrack using America’s soft rock classic “Lonely People”. It’s a melodic song whose lyrics capture the ad’s poignancy and hopeful, upbeat ending. Melody, strong human togetherness, and facial expressions are all elements singled out in Lemon and Look Out as grabbing the “broad beam” attention of the right hemisphere of the brain. Such attention is particularly important for creating lasting impressions of a brand and leads to longer-term business impact.

And speaking of the longer term, Kroger is also doing well at creative consistency. By developing and using its Krojis family over several years, especially during the holiday season, it creates expectations, familiarity and positive response year-on-year.

Creative consistency is the focus of our latest System1 work, Compound Creativity, outlining how consistency on multiple levels leads to greater business and brand effects for advertisers. A lasting agency/brand relationship (like Kroger have with Adam&Eve DDB NY) and commitment to creative ideas and brand assets like the Krojis are some of the elements that build consistency and lead to big commercial impact.

With heartwarming stories over multiple holiday seasons, the Krojis are becoming a festive fixture. They solved the case of the vanishing food, and with a 5-Star Test Your Ad score they’re a brand solution themselves – one which will only build value in holidays to come.

Get Into the Holiday Spirit With Our Christmas Advertising Playlist!