• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, November 11, 2016

Through its new “Next Door Chef” campaign, Morton Salt is looking to drive awareness of how using its kosher and sea salts can help turn home-cooked meals into restaurant-quality experiences.

The premise: The brand is pairing home chefs with famous local chefs, who coach them through the preparation of a meal, then help them open a one-day-only pop-up restaurant for family, friends and local foodies.

A video documenting the meal prep and dinner party resulting from the first pairing — a young home chef named Cara with Jason Vincent, owner/chef of Chicago restaurant Giant — is now being aired as a 30-second TV spot on the Food Network.

The video is also viewable on the campaign’s site and Morton’s Twitter and Facebook pages. In addition, the campaign’s content is being promoted by online influencers.

The spot employs screen titles as Cara and Vincent use each of several different types of Morton salt to neatly summarize the purpose of each: kosher for seasoning and prep; fine sea salt for precision and flavor; and course, sea salt for texture and finish.

The site also offers Cara’s full menu and all of the recipes, as well as more recipes and hosting tips for the holidays.

Home cooks are being encouraged to throw their own “home restaurant” parties and post photos and recipes that include Morton kosher or sea salts, using #NextDoorChef. 

The brand has since staged another home chef/famous chef pairing, in Nashville (this home chef is a guy looking to impress his wife), and plans to produce a second TV ad from that to begin airing next spring, reports a brand rep.

Ogilvy & Mather is the lead creative agency, with support from Ketchum, and Code and Theory.