Did somebody order a brand masterpiece?
Client
Romanos
Services
Marketing & Advertising
Industry
Consumer Packaged Goods
Romano's has been part of the weekly Kiwi grocery shop for five decades, growing from a local family business into a national category leader. We've worked alongside them for a number of years, providing packaging and design support. When they came to us wanting to do their first ever ad campaign, we were excited to try something a bit out of the box.
- 24.7% sales jump year-on-year
- 75,902 pizzas sold in a single week
- IAB Award Nominee: Marketing Using AI
Staying top of mind (and trolley)
Upon turning 50, Romano's wanted to reassert their brand and remind New Zealanders why they're the go-to for a quick, tasty meal. The goal was to drive massive nationwide visibility and a clear lift in sales. They wanted to be memorable, likeable and the product people reach for when they need an easy dinner win. To get there they needed a blockbuster campaign, minus the Hollywood-sized budget.
Art, AI and… anchovies?
We set about developing a creative platform that could cut through quickly, feel unmistakably Kiwi, and connect the product with everyday life. Traditional production methods would have limited scale and ambition, so we looked for a smarter way to bring a big creative idea to life. Our campaign sprang from a simple starting point: New Zealanders already have strong affection for Romano\'s, but the brand needed a contemporary narrative to reach new audiences. Strategically, we combined a few crucial ingredients – cultural storytelling, nationwide reach and AI-driven production – to create the perfect recipe for results.
The campaign we delivered
After munching through a feast of ideas (nifty50 giveaway, giant pizza slip\'n\'slide, countrywide tiki-tour) we found our creative Eureka. Famous artworks, reimagined through a Kiwi lens. Each piece blended humour, heritage and pantry-aisle relevance, positioning Romano\'s as a brand that understands how Kiwis live. To pull this off without blowing the budget, we donned our digital marketing agency hats and put generative AI to work. This allowed us to scale the idea but not the costs, creating high-end, bespoke visuals that worked perfectly across everything from street murals to social media. By being savvy with the production, we were able to deliver stunning creative visuals in just a few weeks, and reinvest the money saved into nationwide media.
At Mint, we have a hunger for creative that works. Our relationship with Romano's is the perfect expression of what's possible when big ideas are also relevant and achievable. As a digitally-led agency, we're constantly expanding what's possible using AI tools, based, of course, on unmistakably human ideas. The Romano's campaign sparked conversations about AI, which the client approached openly, affirming their position as confident, contemporary and innovative. We love working with brands that share our appetite for success and are willing to try new routes to get there. It's been a great ride so far, and we're looking forward to more mouth-watering ideas ahead.
24.7%
Sales increase over the campaign period
75.9K
Pizzas sold in a single week (peak)
3×
Planned YouTube views achieved
Massive sales lift
Romano's sales increased 24.7% for the four weeks of the campaign, with one week hitting a peak of nearly 76,000 pizzas.
Supercharged reach
On Meta, we doubled the expected reach while on YouTube we achieved triple the planned views (with a 92% completion rate to boot).
Here, there, everywhere
Large-format billboards and murals built strong community presence while in-store assets closed the loop, connecting awareness directly to purchase.
Award-winning innovation
The campaign was a finalist at the IAB New Zealand Digital Advertising Awards for 'Marketing Using AI'.
"The team at Mint are a very passionate team and are always interested in our business and sales growth. When creating the "Everyday Masterpiece" campaign they kept us engaged throughout the process – especially important as it was our first campaign. Our customers loved it and we have since had record market share across all supermarket accounts for the Romanos brand. The campaign delivered far beyond the short-term investment we made back in June/July 2025. We couldn't have done it without all the work Mint did – giving us all the options, a great above the line campaign, and lasting reach in our key focus areas."
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