Romanos
Brand story
Campaign & asset creation
Content production
Marketing & brand strategy
Media buying and out of home media
Romano’s – Everyday Masterpieces Campaign
A national brand platform blending heritage, humour and AI-powered creativity.
The commercial need
Romano’s hit its 50-year milestone with strong legacy recognition but growing pressure from an increasingly competitive grocery category. The brief was clear:
reassert Romano’s as a modern Kiwi brand, drive nationwide visibility, and lift sales, all within a set budget.
The brand needed a creative platform that could cut through quickly, feel unmistakably Kiwi, and reconnect the product with everyday life. Traditional production methods would have limited both scale and ambition, so we looked for a smarter way to bring a big creative idea to life without compromising craft.
Our campaign strategy
The campaign was built around a simple starting point: New Zealanders already have strong affection for Romano’s, but the brand needed a contemporary narrative to reach new audiences.
Our strategic approach combined cultural storytelling, nationwide reach, and AI-driven production advantages:
A culturally relevant creative idea
We reimagined some of the world’s most recognisable artworks through a Kiwi lens. Each piece blended humour, heritage and unmistakable pantry-aisle relevance — positioning Romano’s as a brand that understands who we are and how we live.
Generative AI as the creative engine
AI wasn’t added for novelty; it was chosen because it allowed the idea to scale.
We used a suite of AI powered tools, each selected for its specific strength. This approach delivered artwork that would traditionally take months — in weeks — unlocking production savings that were reinvested into nationwide media.
Craft meets technology
Although AI drove the visual generation, the campaign came to life in the physical world through hand-painted murals, outdoor placements, in-store displays and dynamic digital formats. AI allowed us to push the creative further; human craftsmanship grounded it in authenticity.
The commercial results
The campaign delivered measurable commercial impact, proving that AI-enabled creativity can drive genuine business outcomes.
Sales performance
- 24.7% year-on-year uplift in grocery units
- Weekly peak of 75,902 units in July 2025, up from 58,851 the same week in 2024
- Sales momentum maintained across the campaign, with peaks aligning to media bursts
- Growth supported by the introduction and promotion of new and extended ranges
Media effectiveness
The production efficiencies created by AI allowed more budget to be channelled into reach:
- Meta: reached double the expected audience with one of the lowest CPMs in the category
- YouTube: delivered nearly triple the planned views with a 92% completion rate
- Large-format OOH and murals built strong community presence
- In-store assets closed the loop by connecting awareness directly to purchase
Cultural impact and critical acclaim
The creative sparked conversation — not just about the artwork, but about the role of generative AI in modern brand building. Romano’s approached this openly, which helped position the brand as confident, future-focused and willing to innovate.
The campaign’s impact extended beyond consumer reaction. It was recognised by industry peers and nominated for the IAB New Zealand Digital Advertising Awards in the Marketing Using AI category — a reflection of the disciplined, strategic use of generative AI throughout the process. The nomination signalled that Romano’s wasn’t simply participating in the AI conversation, but helping set the standard for how AI can be used responsibly and creatively at scale.
