Long-known for their world-class cooking cheeses, La Casa Del Formaggio have released their first-ever snacking cheese — 100% Mozzarella Stretchy String Sticks. To spread the word, they’ve let their product do the talking.
Created by Showpony, the ‘Real Talk’ campaign features a talking packet of cheese sticks — affectionately dubbed ‘Salvatore’ by the team — with an Italian accent and a charming motormouth.
Says Showpony executive creative director, Parris Mesidis, “The packet design is so iconic. The second we saw the amazing smile, we knew we had to bring it to life. Our collective ambition was to make creative as charming and fun as the cheese is delicious.”
With creative and media undertaken by Showpony, the national campaign runs across free-to-air and catch-up TV, digital, social, outdoor, press and POS, coinciding with the product’s release in Coles, Woolworths and independent supermarkets across the country.
Showpony Media MD Melissa Roberts said, “Working with a brand this loved and with so much character, it was important to match the creative flavour with a media approach that reached all Australians from big screens to small, in-store and at home. The goal is to make that La Casa smile impossible to miss.”
The videos were directed by Wildebeest’s Julian Lucas and feature the cheese packet speaking directly to a surprised shopper.
Showpony creative director Rory Kennett-Lister said, “Jules immediately got the concept — we saw that from the moment we read his treatment. He worked with us to elevate the humour and really develop the relationship between cheese packet and our shopper, without it getting (forgive me) cheesy.”
The new product is a major move for La Casa — their first foray into the string snacking cheese market.
Claude Cicchiello, managing director at La Casa Del Formaggio, added, “We set out to create something unique, bringing traditional Italian-style cheese, made right here in Australia, into the modern snacking world. Rather than generic “cheese”, this is 100% Mozzarella. As Salvatore will tell you, it’s something that both kids and adults will love.”
Celeste Frost, marketing manager at La Casa Del Formaggio, said, “We wanted to show that this product is truly different from anything on the shelves — it’s far more than a kids’ lunchbox snack. The campaign really brings that to life across every touchpoint of the funnel.”
With the campaign rolling out nationally, phase two is already in the works, with competitions and further social content to come.
Dining and Cooking