HELLMANN'S / BEST FOODS
Shaping Super Bowl campaigns through insight-led strategy
ROLE
Insights Strategist
PROJECT YEAR
2022-2025
OVERVIEW
Impactful creative is built on strategy, insight, and disciplined testing.
At Unilever, I led brand communication strategy for America's favorite mayonnaise, Hellmann’s (for those living West of Rockies, known as Best Foods) during one of the brand’s most visible moments: the Super Bowl. Across four years of Super Bowl, I helped guide creative decisions that led to multiple awards and ranking among the Top 3 Most Effective Super Bowl Ads. Staying true to research rigor, the consumer voice, and the data was critical to protecting creative quality and, in turn, building brand power.
CHALLENGE
Super Bowl advertising is high-risk and high-reward.
The goal wasn’t simply to be memorable: it was to increase the long-term brand power of Hellmann’s by delivering creative that was clearly tied to the brand’s purpose. During my time on the brand, Hellmann’s core message was “Make Taste, Not Waste,” encouraging people to transform leftovers into delicious meals using Hellmann’s, especially during high–food-waste moments like Super Bowl watch parties. The challenge was ensuring that this message landed clearly in a cluttered cultural moment.
MY ROLE
Safeguarding creative quality while balancing diverse stakeholder interests
My role was to ensure that ideas didn’t lose message clarity, emotional resonance, and brand recall as they moved from concept to execution. I partnered closely with marketing teams and creative agencies, groups operating with very different KPIs, timelines, and incentives. My responsibility was to translate consumer insight into actionable creative guidance, often mediating between what the data suggested and what the creative vision aspired to be.
Choosing the idea that would win the Super Bowl
Before production, I led qualitative research to determine which creative idea most clearly communicated Hellmann’s superiority and the brand message in a way that would stand out during the Super Bowl. Using virtual focus groups and early stimuli (storyboards and animated films with voiceover), I evaluated clarity, distinctiveness, emotional resonance, and brand linkage. This phase helped the team confidently prioritize one idea to move forward and identify where it needed sharpening before production.
Example of creative stimulus used in consumer testing prior to production.
STEP 2:
BIG GAME SPOT
Strengthening the TV execution
Post-production, I evaluated the finished 30-second spot for the Big Game, using consumer-based ad effectiveness testing. This allowed us to assess the creative's potential across key KPIs, and to identify execution-level optimizations that could strengthen impact.
Communication Effectiveness Matrix aligns teams around shared KPIs and identify areas for improvement.
STEP 3: DIGITAL
Ensuring digital breakthrough on social media
Super Bowl campaigns extend far beyond TV. I tested digital assets using in-context platform testing across TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram to understand how creative quality held up in real feed environments.
STEP 4:
INFLUENCER PROGRAM
Measuring influencer contribution
As part of the Super Bowl ecosystem, Hellmann’s launched influencer programs to amplify reach and relevance. I evaluated influencer effectiveness using Opportunity-To-See (OTS) analysis, measuring real-world exposure and impact rather than relying on recall alone. This work clarified which influencer content truly contributed to brand performance and how authenticity and creative freedom affected outcomes, particularly on TikTok.
FINAL OUTCOME
Across four Super Bowl campaigns, the creative evolved each year, but the objective remained constant: to build brand power and to communicate message with clarity.
MAYO TACKLES FOOD WASTE (2022)
WHO'S IN THE FRIDGE (2023)
MAYO CAT (2024)
WHEN SALLY MET HELLMANN'S (2025)
IMPACT
Big Game. Bigger Impact.
Across four years of campaigns, my work helped guide creative decisions that generated 30B impressions and ranked among the Top 3 Most Effective Super Bowl Ads. Research insights directly shaped creative decisions year over year, informing idea selection, execution refinements, digital extensions, and influencer strategy. The result was Super Bowl work that built lasting brand power for Hellmann’s, consistently ranking among the most effective campaigns in the category.
EFFIE 2023
Seasonal Marketing
SILVER
EFFIE 2023
Food
BRONZE
EFFIE 2023
Positive Change-Environment
BRONZE
ARF 2022
David Ogilvy Award
SILVER
ANA REGGIE 2023
Entertaining or Sports Mktg
BRONZE
THE CLIOS AWARDS 2025
Audio
BRONZE
WHY THIS WORK STILL MATTERS
Bridging insight and execution
This work reflects how I approach product design today: respecting research to understand what truly resonates with people, then translating data into clear, actionable direction that teams can execute against. Whether evaluating a Super Bowl spot or a digital experience, the challenge is the same: balancing human insight with brand intent, and turning signals into decisions. Working across marketing, creative, analytics, and leadership teams taught me how to collaborate across functions, align stakeholders around shared metrics, and stay grounded in evidence while respecting creative and strategic constraints. That ability to bridge insight and execution continues to shape how I design meaningful, effective digital products.
