Knorr: Old Staple, New Flavour

When Creative Salon arrives at MullenLowe's office, the creative buzz is palpable. Carlos Andrés Rodríguez, the newly appointed ECD at MullenLowe UK, and Niek de Rooij, global masterbrand director at Unilever’s Knorr, are deeply engrossed in the latest cut of their new campaign. They don’t even notice the interruption for several minutes. This is not just a meeting—it’s a creative partnership in full flight, one that is pushing the boundaries of brand storytelling and reshaping the way the world sees a culinary legacy.

Over the past two years, this dynamic duo has worked hand-in-hand to steer Knorr—a brand known for its ubiquitous presence in kitchens worldwide—towards uncharted creative territories. As Rodríguez explains, when he first joined the Knorr team, the brief was refreshingly simple: “We need to bring joy to the brand.” There was no elaborate strategy or detailed roadmap—just a call for a creative spark to breathe new life into a staple product line that had slowly faded from the cultural conversation. Knorr, he says, at that point felt like an old-fashioned brand—familiar, in everyone’s cupboard, but also kind of forgotten. They were already trying to reinvent it, to bring it “out of the cupboard” and into pop culture again."

Knorr, like many legacy brands, has been facing a critical moment of reinvention, while needing to shed its "old-fashioned" image and re-enter the pop culture conversation, reconnecting with a younger audience.

Enter Rodríguez, whose passion for creative quality and innovation meshed perfectly with de Rooij’s strategic vision for the brand. He’s a founding partner of WPP’s David Bogotá, and his award accolades include the Black Pencil of the Decade at D&AD, alongside an Innovation Grand Prix and a Titanium Lion at Cannes Lions. Together, they’re embarking on a journey to reshape Knorr’s identity by aiming to not only rekindle its appeal but to elevate it in ways that feel fresh and resonant in today’s cultural landscape.

Reignite the joy

Rodríguez and de Rooij's collaborative process is driven by mutual respect and an unyielding desire to push creative boundaries. For de Rooij, the partnership was born out of necessity. “At that moment, the brand was going through an identity shift. Sustainability was becoming core to our values, but it brought with it a weighty tone that didn’t feel authentic to Knorr’s spirit,” he shares. “We asked ourselves, ‘What is Knorr about emotionally?’ And the answer was joy. That became our guiding light.”

This focus on joy didn’t just shape the tone of their campaigns but became a creative imperative. Rodríguez, whose love for vibrant, engaging work is apparent in everything he does, adds, “Joy is something advertising is missing right now. That’s what I was brought in to bring back—to remind people that a brand can be both functional and fun.”

The duo’s approach is refreshingly collaborative, characterised by an open exchange of ideas and a focus on building rather than shutting down concepts. “Sometimes an idea is already there,” de Rooij says. “It just needs to be uncovered.” The result is a fluid, iterative process where risks are taken, mistakes are made, but ultimately, creativity is sharpened.

From Legacy to Culture: The Knorr Bag and Beyond

One of the standout moments in their partnership came when they explored a daring idea that perfectly encapsulated their ethos of risk-taking and innovation: the Knorr Bouillon Cube as a fashion accessory. Inspired by the growing trend of mini bags in fashion, they wondered: “What if we could turn the Knorr cube into a fashion statement?” The result was a bold collaboration with the fashion industry, an unexpected twist that saw Knorr break into the cultural conversation in a completely new way.

“We wanted to bring the brand into pop culture, beyond just cooking shows or influencers. The bouillon cube is iconic, and we wondered, what would happen if we brought it into an entirely different world? The idea came from an observation about the mystifying size of tiny bags and what actually goes in them.” Rodríguez explains. The mini bag became not just a product but a statement, cleverly tying the Knorr brand to the zeitgeist and elevating it from pantry staple to cultural artefact.

The timing was crucial, as the campaign launched around the Christmas season, when gifting takes centre stage. “We had to make it real. Not just conceptualise it but actually build it, get the details right,” de Rooij reflects. This wasn’t just a creative idea—it was a product in its own right, pushing the boundaries of what a food brand could represent.

Creative Risk-Taking and Collaboration

The duo’s willingness to take creative risks is what drives much of their work. But as Rodríguez notes, it’s not just about pushing boundaries for the sake of novelty—it’s about having a partner in the client who is equally committed to exploring uncharted territory. “We’re lucky to have a client who’s not risk-averse,” he says, acknowledging de Rooij’s ability to rally the team and push the brand forward.

Their partnership thrives on honesty. Rodríguez recalls how their open communication has become a cornerstone of their creative process. “Sometimes I’ll tell Niek, ‘This isn’t quite right yet, but let’s show it anyway.’ It’s not about selling perfection. It’s about the process and making sure we’re aligned in our vision.” For de Rooij, that honest dialogue allows them to take risks without fear of failure: “We’re not just taking risks for the sake of it. We’re doing it because we believe in the idea, and we trust each other.”

This honesty extends beyond their immediate partnership to the broader team. Knorr’s global-local model ensures that creative risks are shared across markets and teams. With over 27,000 SKUs across nearly 90 countries, translating global ideas into local realities is key. “It’s not just global coming in a and saying, ‘Do this.’ We’re in this together—global and local teams working as one,” de Rooij explains.

Two campaigns in particular exemplify the duo’s successful risk-taking. First, the most recent 'You Can Deliver Better' campaign, which tackles the rise of food delivery fails with humour and irreverence. It skewers “fast food delivery fails” and urges consumers to cook at home rather than use delivery apps. Featuring visually striking images of half-assembled burgers and pizzas with missing ingredients, the campaign turned a common frustration into an opportunity to promote the brand’s message: “You can do better.” Rodríguez and de Rooij, along with their teams, had to navigate cultural differences and market expectations—especially in more conservative regions—while staying true to the brand’s fun, lighthearted tone.

Another bold move came with the Green Flag campaign, which saw Knorr partner with Tinder. This unexpected collaboration between food and dating highlighted the growing intersection of food culture and digital social spaces. While some markets were initially hesitant, the team believed in the cultural relevance of the partnership and pushed through. “It was a bold move, but we knew it would resonate,” says de Rooij.

The campaign launched with playful TikTok assets acknowledging the sea of red flags and introducing cooking as the ultimate green flag. Knorr encourages singles to add cooking to their Tinder profile, then helps them up their game with a playlist of #UnlockYourGreenFlag content. Working with creators, this content shares hot tips on how to level up their cooking and dating skills, whether it’s how to ‘prime their profile’ or how to create the ultimate date night dish – think ‘kiss me chilaquiles’ that’s guaranteed to impress. Knorr even launched some Green Flag Events to help singles up their game IRL.

A Global Vision with Local Relevance

At the heart of Rodríguez and de Rooij’s work is the recognition that food, though global, is deeply local. Understanding the nuances of different markets and adapting campaigns to resonate culturally is crucial. From Asia to Europe to Latin America, the creative teams work collaboratively to ensure that global campaigns connect with local consumers in meaningful ways.

“Food is emotional and sensory,” Rodríguez says. “That’s what makes it so powerful as a tool for communication.” This approach has allowed Knorr to tap into younger generations in unexpected ways, like the Ludacris campaign in the U.S. that fused food and music culture. The campaign, launched last year, saw the bouillon brand remix fast food dishes into craveable, nutritious and delicious homemade meals, partnering with multi-platinum music legend Ludacris. Remastering the hit song, 'The Choice is Yours', the campaign launched with a fresh music video: 'Fast Food Remix feat. Ludacris and Knorr' which encouraged people to discover how quick, delicious and healthier meals, such as Taste Combos, can easily come together at home with the help of the flavour powerhouse of Knorr. 

Shaping Tomorrow's Culinary Conversations

Looking ahead, Rodríguez and de Rooij are focused on continuing to bridge the gap between Knorr and the younger, more experimental cooks of tomorrow. “Cooking is becoming more flexible,” de Rooij notes. “People want to be experimental. They want to break free from rigid recipes.” Knorr’s role is to be the “flavour hack,” offering products that are not the main ingredient but the key to making any meal better.

Success, for Rodríguez and de Rooij, is not about hitting a specific sales target. It’s about creating campaigns that get people talking and make the brand a part of cultural conversations. “When a campaign hits, people talk about the brand. That’s success,” says Rodríguez.

And with each new collaboration, risk, and creative breakthrough, it’s clear that Knorr is no longer just a brand in the kitchen. It’s a brand that’s living and evolving in the cultural conversation—one creative risk at a time.