KITCHENAID® CELEBRATES MAKERS AND THEIR “MARKS”
Brand Redefines What It Means To Be A Maker in New Campaign

Throughout its almost 100-year history, KitchenAid has found its home in the kitchens of passionate cooks and creators, brewers and bakers who use their tools to continually push what is possible. Today, KitchenAid, with its long legacy of producing the kitchen’s most iconic tools, celebrates the makers and the marks that define them.

KitchenAid MakerMakers are the ones who savor the process just as much as the final dish. The ones whose love for the kitchen is part of who they are, baked into the way they see the world. And it’s this passionate group of people who inspire the design of KitchenAid appliances, big and small — each one crafted to provide them new ways to explore and experiment.

It can be easy to spot those with a real passion for cooking and an appetite to learn. They know what’s in season and can recite their favorite recipes from memory. They have collections of cookbooks proudly displayed and farmer’s markets noted on their calendars. They deconstruct dishes to figure out how to recreate them at home. These are the marks of a maker.

“We are championing those with a passion to get in the kitchen to learn, to experiment and to make,” said Christina Hoskins, Senior Brand Manager for KitchenAid. “We’re encouraging those who see the brand as their sous chef to embrace all the ways they identify as a maker. We always want to feed the passions of those who inspire us and now we want to showcase the marks that make them who they are on a more personal level.”

The new global KitchenAid “Marks” campaign, launching today, was created by Digitas, the connected marketing agency. It’s a campaign that recognizes all of the marks, from the big to the small, and highlights key traits of makers:

  • Physical marks can’t be hidden — it’s the cooking-themed tattoo on their arm, the burns and blisters worn like badges of honor, earned by perfecting a recipe over many tries.
  • Behavioral marks highlight how makers operate a little differently — they read cookbooks like novels and find ways to grow basil on their balcony, farming on the 49th floor.
  • Emotional marks show off how cooking can be tied to mood — to makers, meals are inextricably linked to memories and cooking can be an act of love (or an act of self-care, procrastination, meditation, etc.).
  • Kitchen marks are all about how makers own their domain — it’s the stand mixers that are always left on the counter, ingredients kept at arm’s distance, appliances carefully chosen, proudly displayed, well-cared for and ready for the next recipe.

A 60-second “Marks” campaign anthem video highlights these marks as makers navigate the kitchen, baking bread at home, making stocks from scratch and showing off their skills by taking cake frosting and pancake flipping to new heights. And like all successes in the kitchen, the spot is not without trial and error that every home cook knows well — the loaves of burnt bread that ultimately lead to a go-to recipe, the slip of the hand while sharpening knife skills — experimentation and risk taking that are key parts of what it means to be a maker.

The global campaign also comprises unique short films with customized brand messages tailored to individual consumers and crafted specific to different platforms. The videos are sequenced to create personalized, engaging ad experiences spotlighting various marks that will appeal to specific types of makers.

KitchenAid appliances offer countless intuitive and useful features crafted for makers—from the refrigerator with built-in marinating tray to the oven with handles designed for dough-covered hands. Spurred by the invention of the iconic stand mixer a century ago, KitchenAid now spans more than 25 product categories that together represent an entire kitchen suite of products that are designed to meet the maker’s needs.

“KitchenAid engineers everything with the maker in mind,” said Hoskins. “That careful consideration leads to features and details of our products that are intentionally designed to help you get the most out of everything you make.”

Through “Marks,” KitchenAid invites makers in kitchens around the world to share their unique marks on social media using #MarksOfMaking. Whether they bake, brew, blend or anything in between, KitchenAid helps unleash the full potential of makers. With a plan for any pot and pan, a flame that never falters, dishes as good as the recipe sounds and endless ideas to marinate, makers can rely on KitchenAid to make the only appliances made for those who love to cook.

“Marks” is a fully-integrated campaign including print, OLV, high-impact OLA, social, partnerships and paid search.

About KitchenAid
Since the introduction of its legendary stand mixer in 1919 and first dishwasher in 1949, KitchenAid has built on the legacy of these icons to create a complete line of products designed for those with a passion to make. Today, the KitchenAid® brand offers virtually every essential for the well-equipped kitchen with a collection that includes everything from countertop appliances to cookware, ranges to refrigerators, and whisks to wine cellars. To learn more, visit KitchenAid.com or join us at Facebook.com/KitchenAid and Twitter.com/KitchenAidUSA.