In 2021, Will Levis—who, at the time, was the quarterback for the University of Kentucky—posted a video on his TikTok, which has ~163,000 followers, with this description: “I have a very sophisticated pallet [sic].”
In the video, Levis is at a diner and squirts a stream of mayonnaise into his coffee, stirs it, and takes a sip.
The video garnered more than 983,000 views, and while Levis noted in a video posted on the NFL’s TikTok account in March that although mayo in coffee “didn’t taste half bad,” he’d done it only as a joke and usually takes his coffee with almond milk and stevia.
Now Hellmann’s, the mayonnaise brand owned by Unilever, is getting in on the joke. It’s hired Levis, who now plays for the Tennessee Titans, as a brand ambassador and is featuring the quarterback in a video where he talks about Hellmann’s promising him a lifetime supply of mayonnaise.
And while adding mayo to coffee might not seem much less appealing than Starbucks rolling out olive oil-infused coffee drinks, Hellmann’s told Retail Brew this effort is less of a serving suggestion than a pointed joke about mayonnaise being more than a spread.
“Do we expect people to put mayonnaise in their coffee?” Chris Symmes, marketing director for dressings and condiments at Unilever Nutrition North America, asked. “Absolutely not. The point here is: How we can inspire people to think about mayonnaise–and Hellmann’s–beyond just as a condiment as something you put on your turkey sandwich or your hamburger?”
Just for yucks: A video that went live on Hellmann’s YouTube channel Tuesday and that is being shared on the brand’s other social media channels, as well as Levis’s personal social media, features the QB in a mock press conference. He says it’s a “dream come true” for him because “it’s not every day that someone offers to compensate you in mayonnaise. I’m proud to officially announce that I’ve signed a ‘lifetime supply of Hellmann’s’ contract.”
As the press conference continues, he pours a cup of coffee from a carafe into a mug, squirts in a generous amount of mayonnaise, and takes a sip. Then he grabs a muffin, squirts a bunch of mayo on top of it, and takes a bite.
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Main squeeze: Hellmann’s has the kind of household penetration that marketers fantasize about: It’s in half of US households, according to the brand. And the primary objective of the brand is not to get more people to use Hellmann’s as much as it is to get people to use more Hellmann’s.
“People just assume, ‘Oh, it’s Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. You put it on the sandwich, and you call it a day,’” Symmes said. “But the way that we view it is that it’s more than just a condiment. It’s an ingredient to elevate many dishes, many leftovers, et cetera, which is integral to how we approach our marketing strategy.”
Part of that strategy, naturally, is recipe development, with the brand promoting mayonnaise as an ingredient, often in the most unexpected ways. The brand’s website even includes recipes for desserts, including Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake and Secret Ingredient Moist & Chewy Oatmeal Cookies (spoiler: the secret ingredient is three-quarters of a cup of Hellmann’s mayonnaise
But perhaps no Hellmann’s recipe grabbed more attention than the one it introduced last year.
Squirting the issue: Hellmann’s worked with Cody Goldstein, a mixologist with a popular Instagram account, @muddlingmemories, to develop a recipe for Mayo-Nog, which substitutes the condiment for eggs in eggnog, with Goldstein sharing the recipe on Instagram on Dec. 1. It also partnered with a bar in New York, Amy Fontaine’s, to put the drink on its menu.
Like the drink itself, reviews were mixed, but according to a campaign postmortem by Hellmann’s PR agency, Edelman, the exposure was epic:
- The recipe was featured on more than 250 broadcast outlets, including coverage on CNN and CNBC, and segments with hosts including Gayle King and James Cordon, according to Edelman.
- Hellmann’s media mentions rose 14% YoY for December 2022.
Although it’s ubiquitous, mayo also can be polarizing, and whether it’s cheekily promoting its condiment in eggnog or coffee, Hellmann’s uses that dynamic to its advantage.
“In some cases, people have a bit of a love-hate relationship with mayonnaise,” Symmes said. “Some people put it on everything, and some people don’t like it whatsoever. And we’re trying to lean into this tension with a bit of levity.”