Key Takeaways:
- The "Abuela Intelligence" campaign features a 1990s-style call center staffed by grandmothers, offering advice and emphasizing traditional wisdom over AI.
- The campaign includes a mobile sampling tour, the "Abuela Road Trip," visiting select retail locations in California and Arizona to offer product tastings.
- A $2 off promotion, "Abuela's Treat," is available through the company's website, encouraging consumers to try Del Real Foods' authentic Hispanic meals.
Forget artificial flavor and artificial intelligence, Del Real is betting on Hispanic grandmas to drive real connection.
Automation is changing how many major food brands connect with customers.
But Del Real Foods is shifting the focus to something more personal: generational knowledge and recipes made with care.
The Southern California-based brand has launched its first national marketing effort, “Abuela Intelligence."
It aptly puts grandmothers, not machines, at the center of its message.
View this post on Instagram
Unveiled just ahead of Cinco de Mayo, the campaign kicks off with a retro-themed TV spot.
Set in a mock 1990s call center, the ad features real-life grandmothers donning headsets and answering questions about life, food, and everything in between.
The humor and charm come through as these matriarchs serve up their seasoned wisdom, showing that the best advice and meals come from experience, not code.
The initiative spans multiple platforms, with TV ads airing in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, alongside digital placements on YouTube, social media, and Del Real’s own site.
Daniela Simpson, Chief Marketing Officer at Del Real Foods, shared with DesighRush the core of the campaign and how it came to be:
“'Abuela Intelligence' was born from our commitment to celebrating the real inspiration behind every Del Real Foods recipe.
That means the wisdom, love, and authenticity of abuelas.
While the world is captivated by artificial intelligence, we’re highlighting something more meaningful—handcrafted meals and enduring traditions that connect us to our heritage.
This campaign reflects our belief that nothing beats the care and flavor you’d find in your grandma’s kitchen.”
Supporting this sentiment, Jeremy Seibold, Creative Director at TDA Boulder, the agency behind the campaign, emphasized the importance of emotional truth behind the playful concept:
“'Abuela Intelligence' may be tongue in cheek, but the sentiment behind it couldn’t be more real.”
“Del Real is a family brand delivering time-honored meals, so we tried to create a campaign that felt as authentic as the real Abuelas we cast to play the parts.”
Rooted in Real Recipes
A mobile tasting tour called the “Abuela Road Trip” will visit retailers in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, and the Sacramento region from May through July.
Featured items include their slow-cooked Carnitas and the Progressive Grocer award-winning Birria & Cheese Pupusas.
To encourage trial, Del Real is offering a limited-time $2 discount via its website.
It invites consumers to experience its heat-and-eat meals inspired by long-standing recipes and simple, recognizable ingredients.
View this post on Instagram
The brand is owned by Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI), and its products are available in major retail chains, including Walmart and Costco.
With this campaign, Del Real Foods is positioning itself for growth in the $193.8 billion ready-to-eat meal category.
The sector is expected to reach over $400 billion globally in the next decade, and brands that can deliver fast meals without compromising integrity are poised to benefit more.
Meanwhile, Coors Banquet is toasting to perseverance in its latest "Start Your Legacy" campaign from creative agency DDB Chicago.
