by Teresa Buyikian , August 17, 2023

Nationwide pancake chain IHOP has recently released its first campaign for IHOP Coffee at home. The brand launched its coffee, in Signature Blend, Buttery Syrup and Chocolate Chocolate Chip flavors, in grocery and similar outlets through a partnership with Kraft Heinz in April of this year.

The campaign, created by New York agency VMLY&R, highlights the indulgence of drinking IHOP coffee at home, with everyday vignettes of people enjoying their morning Joe. In one online video, a pigtailed woman sits in her kitchen enjoying a cup (emblazoned with a painting of her dog dressed as a vintage English gentleman complete with monocle and bow tie) of IHOP coffee. Behind her is the same wall-size painting of the dog, and she also wears a T-shirt with the same dog’s image. After she explains she had all these items specially made, she shrugs and says, "We like what we like.” The voiceover reads “Unapologetically indulgent IHOP Coffee at home. Just sip and smile."

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The campaign features multiple online videos, TikTok, organic and paid social executions, all highlighting the “innocent pleasures of a coffee drinker.”

Marketing Daily spoke with Kaitlin Roe, director of marketing-U.S. coffee for The Kraft Heinz Company, about IHOP’s new retail campaign.

What was the inspiration for the campaign?

With brand equity that spans every generation, IHOP is well-positioned to spread joy in the seemingly serious coffee category with a little fun amongst millennials and Gen Z-ers. Now more than ever, people are looking for joy, and believe that there should be no such thing as a guilty pleasure, especially with their morning cup of coffee. Since IHOP is known for its iconic and delicious pancake flavors, … we lean into that level of morning pleasure. You can like what you like and not be afraid to let everyone know. In fact, be proud of those little creature comforts. They are what make us all unique humans.

How does this campaign, and the media used, reflect the IHOP brand?

Campaign assets reflect on the “innocent pleasures” in life, that seamlessly connect back to IHOP’s brand purpose of serving joy in and out of their restaurants each day and playing off indulgence and our … pancake-inspired coffee flavors. The media used strives to encourage the audience to unapologetically indulge in their choices and simply do what makes them feel joyous and grounded. It was key for IHOP Coffee to make cultural connections with millennials and Gen-Zers, which led to the focus on online media placements.