Romano’s uses gen AI to launch its first-ever brand campaign in 50 years

Supermarket pizza brand Romano’s has launched its first-ever brand campaign after 50 years in business.

Titled “Everyday Masterpieces”, the campaign was conceived by long-term agency partner MintHC who used generative AI to bring the concept to life.

The key insight is that Romano’s pizzas help make everyday moments taste great. The campaign also draws on the brand’s Italian inspiration and affection from its Kiwi customers.

Iconic Italian artworks are reimagined: the Mona Lisa smiles at a casual summer soirée, two flatmates pass a slice of pizza à la The Creation of Adam, and a Kiwi dad in a cheekily censored apron stands at his backyard pizza oven in a tribute to Michelangelo’s David.

Alan Kang, creative director at MintHC, led the campaign and welcomed the opportunity to take such a bold creative leap for a first-time brand campaign.

“It’s pretty unheard of for a successful brand like Romano’s – which has been around since 1975 – to be launching its very first advertising campaign 50 years later,” says Kang. “And it’s incredibly exciting to be doing it with a solution that fully embraces the possibilities of AI.”

Trust and clarity

Kang says the trust and clarity shown by the client from the outset made the process a true creative partnership.

“AI is an incredible tool, but it’s a bit like a wild horse,” he adds. “It doesn’t always do what you want it to – but when you learn how to steer it, it can take you places you couldn’t reach before.

“We saw AI not as a shortcut, but as a creative enabler – helping us deliver more imagination, faster and smarter.”

The MintHC team turned to AI technology as a way to unlock high-impact creative without the cost of traditional production and direct more budget into media placement.

A big moment

The AI-generated visuals from the “Everyday Masterpieces” campaign are being brought to life as hand-painted murals in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

These placements will be supported by a nationwide campaign across out of home, video-on-demand, social and retail integration, including POS and sales activations to maximise visibility and recall.

“This campaign is a big moment for us,” says Brad Kirkpatrick, managing director at Romano’s.

“We’ve always focused on making a great product, and we are proud to be the category leader but we’ve never told our story in this way. With our expansion into more North Island supermarkets, it felt like the right time to step out and connect with shoppers in a fresh, fun and memorable way.”