Quick answer: Wattie’s is back with its first new Masterbrand campaign since 2021, It’s Wattie’s You Need, celebrating more than 90 years of Kiwi food moments across TV, online video, social, Out of Home and radio.
A Fresh Take on a Kiwi Icon
For the first time since 2021, Wattie’s has returned with a new Masterbrand campaign: It’s Wattie’s You Need.
The campaign offers a fresh take on a brand that has been part of New Zealand life for more than 90 years, showing how Wattie’s continues to appear in everyday food moments across generations.
From spaghetti toasties to peaches and ice cream, tomato sauce at the BBQ and quick mac ‘n’ cheese at lunch, Wattie’s is positioned as a familiar part of how Kiwis grew up eating food made close to home.
Everyday Moments Built Around Comfort and Craving
The campaign playfully brings together a series of familiar situations where Wattie’s delivers the comfort people crave at different times and places.
Rather than focusing on one single product, the work uses the strength of the Wattie’s masterbrand to connect multiple food moments under one simple idea.
Each execution reflects a slice of Kiwi life, using humour, nostalgia and craving to remind audiences why Wattie’s remains such a recognisable name in New Zealand homes.
A Modern Take on Wattie’s Jingle Legacy
Wattie’s has a long history of creating memorable advertising and iconic jingles in New Zealand.
It’s Wattie’s You Need builds on that legacy with a modern campaign that brings rhythm, humour and familiarity into a series of relatable food scenarios.
The result is a campaign that feels nostalgic without being old-fashioned, using the emotional memory of the brand while still speaking to today’s consumers.
Products That Generations Recognize
The campaign features some of Wattie’s most recognisable products, including Baked Beans, Spaghetti, Tomato Sauce, Hawke’s Bay-grown canned peaches and Frozen meal favourites.
These products are not treated as separate items, but as part of a broader food culture that has shaped everyday routines, family meals, lunches, snacks and casual gatherings.
That gives the campaign a strong emotional foundation: it is not just about what Wattie’s sells, but about the role those products have played in Kiwi homes.
A Brand Made in New Zealand’s Backyard
Founded in 1934, Wattie’s remains a major part of New Zealand’s food landscape.
The company employs more than 1,200 people across the country and continues to produce hundreds of products locally, including at its Hawke’s Bay sites.
By highlighting its place in local food culture, the campaign reinforces Wattie’s as both a heritage brand and an active part of New Zealand’s present-day food industry.
Rolling Out Across Multiple Channels
The campaign is running across TV, online video, social, Out of Home and radio, giving Wattie’s a broad media presence across both mass reach and everyday touchpoints.
Out of Home plays an important role in this kind of masterbrand work because it helps make familiar products feel big, visible and culturally present in public spaces.
Combined with video, social and audio, the campaign creates a consistent reminder that Wattie’s is still part of daily life, whether people are at home, on the move or planning their next meal.
Recognition From Kantar New Zealand
The campaign is already resonating with audiences.
It’s Wattie’s You Need was recognised by Kantar New Zealand as the Ad Impact Award winner for May 2026.
That early recognition suggests the campaign is successfully balancing brand heritage, product familiarity and modern creative appeal.
Why This Campaign Works
The strength of the campaign lies in how simply it reconnects Wattie’s with the moments people already know.
Instead of trying to reinvent the brand, the campaign reminds consumers why Wattie’s has remained relevant for generations: comfort, convenience, familiarity and local pride.
For a heritage food brand, that combination is powerful. It protects the emotional equity of the past while investing in the brand’s future.
What Marketers Can Learn From Wattie’s
- Heritage brands can stay relevant by modernizing familiar emotional cues.
- Masterbrand campaigns work best when they connect multiple products through one clear idea.
- Food marketing is strongest when it reflects real routines, cravings and cultural habits.
- OOH can help everyday products feel visible, iconic and part of public culture.
- Brand nostalgia works when it is refreshed with humour, simplicity and contemporary media planning.
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