Maxwell House, the 133-year-old Kraft Heinz coffee brand, is undergoing a cheeky rebrand — at least for now. In a new campaign, the company is temporarily renaming the label Maxwell Apartment, a playful acknowledgment of the grim reality that younger consumers are far more likely to rent than buy a home.
The stunt, launching on National Coffee Day (today), invites consumers to purchase a year’s worth of “Maxwell Apartment” coffee on Amazon for under $40. The package includes specially branded canisters and a 12-month “lease,” underscoring the company’s push to highlight affordability in an era of rising living costs.
The campaign, developed by the agency Rethink, arrives as homeownership rates among first-time buyers hit historic lows. According to the National Association of Realtors, just 24% of homebuyers last year were first-timers, while the median age of buyers rose to a record 56. That leaves millennials and Gen Z consumers, the brand’s target audience, more likely to live in apartments than houses — and more attuned to value-conscious purchases.
Ads running across Meta and TikTok lean into the economic humor. “Maxwell House will always be affordable, but Maxwell House? In this economy?” one spot quips before introducing Maxwell Apartment as “the same affordable coffee you love, now with an even more affordable name.” Paid social content, a creator partnership, and PR support from Zeno Group round out the effort, while media buying is handled by Carat and social support by Kraft Heinz’s in-house unit, The Kitchen.
The limited-time promotion extends the brand’s long-running “Good to the Last Drop” platform while positioning Maxwell House as a thrifty alternative to expensive café habits. A second campaign, “Max Your Savings,” is scheduled to follow in late October, featuring broader digital buys on YouTube and The Trade Desk.
The quirky name change also comes during a significant corporate shift. Earlier this month, Kraft Heinz announced plans to split into two separate companies, reversing much of its $46 billion 2015 merger. Maxwell House will fall under the grocery-focused company, which also includes Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles, and Lunchables.
Source: MarketingDive