Hellmann's, Siete Foods, Kettle & Fire, Rachael Ray Nutrish Pilot Short-Form, Shoppable Media

Unilever's Hellmann's brand, along with three other companies — Siete Foods, Kettle & Fire and Rachael Ray Nutrish — are testing a new vertical video ad feed that highlights meals and recipes.

They are part of a pilot group for Instacart's Immersive Feed platform, which will allow consumers to purchase direct from video ads featuring their favorite retail storefronts. The brands are able to use existing vertical video assets or create new ones within the Ads Manager tool. The videos must be in a 9:16 vertical format and between 5 and 30 seconds long.

“At Hellmann's, we know consumers are increasingly discovering recipes and food trends through short-form video,” Cassie Booth, retail marketing at Unilever, said in a statement. “This tactic enables us to go beyond inspiration by pairing recipe videos with easy add-to-cart functionality, resulting in a seamless purchase journey.”

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Monica Gratzer, senior director of performance media for Rachael Ray Nutrish, said meal inspiration is most powerful when it's seamlessly connected to action. "It allows us to tell a richer brand story and make it easier than ever for consumers to act at that moment of inspiration."

According to Niccoló Gloazzo, director of media and omnichannel at Kettle & Fire, consumers no longer want just inspiration but an easier path from discovery to dinner.

Siete Foods said recipes play a significant role in how the company inspires consumers. 

"We're excited about the opportunity to make them more shoppable and engaging," said Eric Le, VP of growth marketing at Siete Foods.