Brooklyn, NY – May 16, 2024 – Mike's Hot Honey, the nation’s leading brand
of hot honey that is heating up the culinary world, announces the launch of a bold
new ad campaign, "You'll Love It With Mike's.” The visually enticing ads
celebrate the brand's flavor elevation and versatility in an eye-catching and
innovative manner.
Reinforcing the wide
usage of the brand, “You’ll Love It With Mike’s” is only the second campaign in
the brand’s successful history and represents an evolution from the previous
advertising centered around its storied pizza heritage. Both campaigns were developed
in collaboration with New York-based Chase Design Group, which also has
locations in Los Angeles and the United Kingdom.
Since its founding in
2010 by Mike Kurtz, Mike's Hot Honey has captivated taste buds with its unique
blend of sweet honey and spicy chili peppers, now described with an entirely
new word ‘swicy’. What began as a drizzle on a pepperoni pie in a Brooklyn
pizzeria quickly grew into a word-of-mouth sensation, sparking a new product
category and appearing on thousands of retail shelves and restaurant menus across
the country.
The "You'll Love It
With Mike's" campaign represents a shift from the brand's original campaign
"You Can't Have Pizza Without Mike's" that reinforced the brand’s
heritage story, to one that highlights the diverse ways in which Mike's Hot
Honey can enhance various culinary experiences. With 27 featured food pairings
and 40 captivating copy lines, the new campaign showcases the brand's
versatility while giving consumers permission to feed their imagination to
create numerous food concoctions.
"It’s hard to
believe how far we have come in recent years from our humble beginnings at
Paulie Gee’s pizzeria in Brooklyn. This new campaign reflects how the brand has
grown and evolved and is about celebrating the incredible flavor elevation and
endless possibilities that come with adding Mike's Hot Honey to your favorite
dishes," said Mike Kurtz, founder of Mike’s Hot Honey.
“During our years working with the
brand, we've often asked ourselves what can't their hot honey go on, so when
their team challenged us to create a campaign illustrating just how delectable
and versatile Mike's Hot Honey is, we were beyond excited,” said Margaret
Russo, Group Creative Director of New Media at Chase Design Group. "Their
challenge inspired us to construct a bold, iconic campaign, built to highlight
endless, heroic food and honey pairings through strong design elements and a
spirited tone of voice for a world that is totally ownable, and totally Mike's.”
One of the most
significant aspects of "You'll Love It With Mike's" is the
introduction of video content, featuring consumers enjoying the product in a
variety of culinary settings. This marks the first time that the brand is
incorporating real people into its paid advertising efforts, helping to further
connect with them on a personal level. The
video content was conceived and produced by Zeke Martinez and directed by Ben
Merker.
“We have our loyal
consumers to thank for fueling the Mike’s Hot Honey trend so we are pleased to
be able to feature our fans experiencing and enjoying the product in our new
campaign,” Kurtz said. "We're excited to unveil this new chapter for Mike's
Hot Honey and share our passion for flavor exploration. We invite everyone to
join us on a culinary journey filled with excitement, creativity, and, of
course, a touch of heat."
The campaign will be launched
across various digital platforms, including YouTube, Google PerformanceMax,
Programmatic, Meta, and TikTok, reaching a wide audience of food enthusiasts
and culinary adventurers. The rollout is scheduled for early May, just in time
to spice up spring and summer entertaining and barbecue season. Additionally,
it will be extended to retail with displays, retail advertisements, and other
point-of-sale materials. It will also be reflected in the supporting signage
provided to restaurant partners and in restaurant trade advertisements.
Along with the ad
campaign, a new website is also planned for Q4 as the brand looks ahead to
commemorating its 15th anniversary in 2025. The new Mike’s Hot Honey site will
provide an enhanced online experience for customers seeking inspiration and
information about the brand's products.
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About Mike’s Hot Honey
Mike’s Hot Honey is America’s leading
brand of hot honey and has been elevating everyday eating experiences since
2010, when its first drizzle on a pizza at Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn sparked a
word-of-mouth sensation and created a new category of pizza topping. By popular demand, Mike started selling his
small-batch, hand-labeled hot honey bottles to visitors of the pizzeria, as
well as other local restaurants and businesses. Today, Mike’s Hot Honey can be
found in thousands of restaurants and retailers across the country, with the
same original recipe in the bottle.
Using only 100% pure honey infused with real chili peppers, Mike’s Hot
Honey’s one-two flavor punch of sweetness then heat makes any dish more
dynamic, from the original pairing on pepperoni pizza to chicken, cheese and
charcuterie, ice cream, cocktails, and so much more. Mike’s Hot Honey empowers chefs and eaters
everywhere to customize, create, and share extraordinary meals. Happy drizzling!