The whole April Fool’s Day prank is getting a bit tired for me, but I am not even sure if THIS was a prank. My daughter Madeline alerted me Friday about a rap album dropped by–Hamburger Helper. She tells me that it is very high quality (you might not be surprised at how unqualified I am to judge it) and that it is getting good reviews across the net, including AdWeek calling the album shockingly good.
What do we make of this?
Clearly a lot of work went into this, and while it might have been a good idea to release this on April Fool’s Day, it seems to be more than a mere prank. Maybe it isn’t a prank at all. Perhaps we should judge it on its merits.
I’ll admit to not having kept up with Hamburger Helper as a brand. My old brain has it clearly pigeon-holed into “1980’s Mom too busy to cook a real dinner, but wants something that no one complains about.” But a little thinking would lead to the conclusion that it is a market that has moved on to other convenient foods, which might have a bit more of a health food sheen than white pasta, corn starch, partially hydrogenated oils, and MSG. 2016 moms are a lot less likely to want to serve their family Hamburger Helper, I suspect.
So, who is buying it? This approach to content marketing would suggest it is millennials who want a break from ramen. They want something cheap, fast, easy to cook, and they don’t care what is in it as long as it tastes good. This feels more like guys in their dorm room than moms.
Did it work?
I have no way to know, but if the music is good, it at least made a splash. It might have moved the brand into a space where these dorm chefs might give it a try as long as the brand stays low key and doesn’t look like it is trying too hard, which millennials seem to hate.
Now, I am no expert in millennials–most of what I know about them is that they are younger than me. If Hamburger Helper looks authentic and not too sales-y, this looks like a brilliant re-positioning that can amplify a market that has already discovered them. They’ve aimed content at their target market that gives their current customers something to talk about and new customers a reason to hear about them. Very nicely done, in my opinion.
I’ll be interested to see what they try next.
