Who: Chefs Plate with Crowdiate for creative, and The Orange Lounge.

What: “Cook Savvy,” a series of 15- and 30-second spots highlighting the meal company’s products and cost effectiveness.

When & Where: The TV campaign broke this week and is running across specialty channels including OWN, Cooking Channel, Lifetime, E!, Slice, CMT and Food Network Canada. The specialty network focused strategy has worked well for Chef’s Plate in the past, says brand manager Amy Delva.

Why: Recent market research found that Chefs Plate target consumers are “highly organized practical meal planners,” says Delva. “They want meal kits that are affordable and can simplify their lives.”

In addition to highlighting traits like ease of preparation, the campaign also drives home the fact that Chefs Plate is one of the most competitively priced meal kits on the market, says Delva. “It kind of tells the story of how it can be added to a weekly or monthly plan that doesn’t break the bank.”

It’s a good time to be in the meal kit game: The pandemic has been a boon for companies operating in food delivery. A recent Financial Post article reported that German meal kit company HelloFresh (which acquired Chefs Plate in 2018) saw its second-quarter sales increase to €972.1 million, a 122% increase from the comparable year-earlier period.

How: All of the ads speak to the highly organized and practical nature of would-be Chef’s Plate customers. They are built around a tracking shot of a kitchen, accompanied by a voiceover that speaks to the aforementioned brand attributes.

The spots all feature sticky notes that reinforce the key messaging themes like saving time and money, and ease of preparation. All of the spots end with a series of quick-cuts featuring some of the meals available on the service, before directing to ChefsPlate.com

The creative concept was built using Crowdiate’s model of presenting a brief to a pool of creative talent in order to solicit a range of solutions before selecting the winning concept.

And we quote: “Canadians are more concerned about their financial security and careful spending is more important than ever. We’re proud of this campaign because it’s relatable to Canadians who are feeling these stresses and are looking for solutions that simplify their lives.” —Amy Delva, brand manager, Chefs Plate