127-Year-Old Italian Brand Mutti Enlists Sam Kerr for ANZ Campaign
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Italian packaged tomato producer Mutti launched a marketing campaign across Australia and New Zealand in September 2026. Football star Sam Kerr, Paralympic champion Dylan Alcott and television presenter Chris Brown front the push.
The 127-year-old Italian company targets pantry staple shoppers across Australian supermarkets. It relies on character-driven storytelling rather than standard recipe demonstrations.
Celebrity Roster and Storytelling Pivot
Creative spots take the form of scripted vignettes framed as confessions from dedicated brand buyers. In the lead spot, Kerr carries Mutti Passata in her luggage at a hotel and interacts with a chef named Matteo. The scene sets an intentionally humorous tone for the packaged grocery category.
Samantha Filocamo, marketing director for Australia and New Zealand at Mutti, designed the platform to inject personality into the heritage canned tomato business. She aims to expand brand recall across competitive retail aisles.
Supermarket Shelf Competition
Packaged food brands in Australia face sharp margin pressure from private-label supermarket lines. Premium European suppliers must defend higher price points through distinct branding. Mutti has historically relied on provenance and quality credentials to justify its shelf premium over standard tinned tomato competitors.
Enlisting national sporting figures shifts the brand from niche culinary positioning into mainstream consumer recognition. For grocery retailers, strong branded campaigns in staple ambient categories help protect category value against lower-priced store brands.
Category Dynamics Across ANZ
Mutti built its presence in Australasian retail through major supermarket distribution, focusing on whole peeled tomatoes, chopped tomatoes and passata. The promotional push pivots away from traditional food service and home-cooking messaging toward mass-market entertainment.
Supermarket operators across Sydney and Melbourne will track shelf velocity across the ambient tomato range as the campaign rolls out across broadcast and digital channels.
Questions & Answers
Q.What is the primary objective Mutti aims to achieve with this new marketing campaign across Australia and New Zealand?
What is the primary objective Mutti aims to achieve with this new marketing campaign across Australia and New Zealand?
Mutti intends to expand brand recall in competitive retail aisles and transition its positioning from a niche culinary brand into mainstream consumer recognition. The campaign seeks to inject personality into its heritage canned tomato business.
Q.Why has Mutti chosen to focus on character-driven storytelling rather than traditional recipe demonstrations in this campaign?
Why has Mutti chosen to focus on character-driven storytelling rather than traditional recipe demonstrations in this campaign?
Mutti is pivoting away from traditional home-cooking messaging towards mass-market entertainment to reach a wider audience. This approach uses scripted vignettes and humorous tones to inject personality into the brand.
Q.What challenge does Mutti face in the Australian supermarket landscape, and how does its marketing strategy address this?
What challenge does Mutti face in the Australian supermarket landscape, and how does its marketing strategy address this?
Mutti faces sharp margin pressure from private-label supermarket lines and must defend higher price points. The campaign relies on distinct branding through national figures to protect its shelf premium over standard tinned tomato competitors.
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