Kraft Brings Back 'Real Women of Philadelphia'

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Kraft’s Philadelphia Cream Cheese is bringing back "Real Women of Philadelphia," a successful online video contest in which home chefs present home recipes featuring the product as an ingredient. The initiative is headlined by celeb chef Paula Deen.

Last year the brand promotion elicited more than 5,000 video submissions, generated over 30 million recipe views and led to the creation of a community of over 40,000 women who visit RealWomenofPhiladelphia.com regularly.

The second season began yesterday with videos from Deen. It will award talent contracts to four winners who will star in their own cooking videos and host the Real Women of Philadelphia community.

“We’ve gone from a one-way dictation of ad strategy to two-way communication,” said Adam Butler, brand manager of Kraft Foods. “We took the how-to videos and made them into a sustainable platform with RealWomenofPhiladelphia."

Kraft agency Digitas worked with video production company Eqal to create the site. Digitas is a partner in Kraft Foods One, the entity formed with MediaVest to plan Kraft advertising in all media.

John McCarus, VP of brand content for Digitas, said, “The big story for season two is the organic relations developed through the community. Beyond cream cheese, the community of women has come to love and depend on each other for more than just recipes. They come to the site to discuss technology and family relationships, so it’s developed into a broader platform.”

Of course the message involves cream cheese, too. Contestants submit videos in four cooking categories – appetizers, side dishes, entrees and desserts. This year they will also submit recipes featuring Philadelphia Cooking Creme, a new product that is being launched, in part, by the community site.

More than 50 videos were submitted during the contest's first day and have been posted to the site. Video pages include producer remarks and allow for viewer comments. "The goals is to create support and community," said Matthew Seigel, VP of branded content at Eqal.