Description
Butterball®, the brand best known for its Thanksgiving turkey, is entering a new era with the launch of “Care hard. Cook easy.”, a bold new integrated campaign designed to drive everyday relevance and long-term growth.
The campaign was developed in partnership with Carmichael Lynch, Butterball’s creative, social and media agency of record, and represents a key step in the brand’s ambition to build on decades of leadership at the Thanksgiving table to unlock growth across everyday meal occasions, particularly among younger consumers.
“At Butterball, we’ve earned a special place in people’s lives during the holidays, and we have a tremendous opportunity to show up for them all year long,” said Kyle Lock, vice president of marketing at Butterball. “Today’s consumers care deeply about the meals they make, but that care sometimes feels like pressure. ‘Care hard. Cook easy.’ is our way of helping people feel confident choosing Butterball for everyday meals, making it easier to put a wholesome, warm meal on the table.”
The “Care hard. Cook easy.” platform brings Butterball’s legacy of helpfulness into a more modern, relatable space, grounded in playful ease and humanity, all while celebrating Butterball’s portfolio of everyday products, from ground turkey and turkey burgers to smoked sausage and turkey breast roast.
“‘Care hard. Cook easy.’ is Butterball’s permission slip to stop overthinking everyday meals,” said Stacy Janicki, CEO of Carmichael Lynch. “Through playful characters and unexpected humor, the campaign celebrates the beautifully chaotic reality of caring for others and shows that with Butterball, caring hard can still feel easy.”
The campaign launches with two hero spots that highlight the versatility and ease of Butterball’s everyday offerings:
“Carried Away” (:30): At a grocery store sample table, two enthusiastic brand ambassadors excitedly walk a shopper through all the delicious meals she can make with Butterball ground turkey.
“Favorite Part” (:15): Back at the sample table, the duo revels in the best parts of Butterball turkey burgers, turning a simple product moment into a joyful, indulgent experience.
Designed to meet consumers where they are, the campaign is built as a fully integrated, social-first ecosystem extending beyond traditional video. The campaign includes linear, streaming and digital video, social, creator partnerships, digital display, paid search and custom media collaborations, supported by a range of brand assets and extensions designed to embed Butterball more deeply into everyday culture.
The campaign will launch with a local broadcast buy in Raleigh, North Carolina, near Butterball’s headquarters, before expanding nationwide.
This professional campaign titled 'Care Hard. Cook Easy.' was published in United States in May, 2026. It was created for the brand: Butterball, by ad agency: Carmichael Lynch. This Film and Integrated media campaign is related to the Food industry and contains 2 media assets. It was submitted 21 minutes ago.
Credits
Butterball
Vice President, Retail Marketing: Kyle Lock
Director of Consumer Communications and Purpose: Christa Leupen
Director of Retail and International Brand Management: Rebecca Welch
Integrated Marketing Communications Manager: Alex Hale
Associate Consumer Communications Manager: McKenna Martin
AGENCY: Carmichael Lynch
Chief Executive Officer: Stacy Janicki
Chief Creative Officer: Brynna Aylward
Creative Directors: Megan Winterhalter, Ali Sooudi, Whitley Mike
Associate Creative Directors: Nikki Zurek, Amanda Clark
Senior Digital Art Director: Emilia Johansen
Copywriters: Eric Spore, David Hulme
Designer: Jesus Li
Production & Content
Senior Executive Content Producer: Lisa Feldman
Content Producer: Jake Folska
Director of Business Affairs, Production: Vicki Oachs
Content Business Manager, Production: Tara DiNicola
Account
Group Account Director: Mackenzie Halvorsen
Associate Account Director: Cree Franklin
Account Supervisors: Jane Oliverius, Allison Otta, Sydney Tigue (Relate)
Assistant Account Executive (Relate): Daniela Hermoza Suarez
New Business Supervisor & Designer: Carla Zetina-Yglesias
Project Management
Associate Director: Mandi Longtin
Project Management Supervisor: Abby Minea
Senior Project Manager: Lauren Truong-Helin
Media
Chief Media Director: Neil Goodspeed
Group Media Director: Nellie Murray
Associate Media Directors: Mackenzie Carlson (Paid Search), Amy Parsons
Media Supervisor: Sarah Dybicz
Media Supervisor, Paid Search: Melissa McDonald
Senior Media Planner: Emma Cho
Assistant Media Planner: Femi Adewola
Programmatic Desk Team: Lauren Stoelk, Scott Westerman, Brian Edwards, Brianna Laursen, Christopher Johnson
Senior Traffic Specialist: June Metzger
Traffic Specialist: Kay Mumin
Traffic Specialist: Maggie Margosian
Strategy
Chief Strategy Officer: Lachlan Badenoch
Brand Planning Director: Emily Blease
Senior Brand Planner: Ada LaChapelle
Social
Director of Social Strategy: Emily Den Boer
Associate Social Director: Elizabeth Winchester
Social Creative Strategist: Jordan Peterson
Social Strategist: Alicia Lees
Social Specialist: Petra Holtze
Digital & Technology
Director of Digital: Ang Legein
Digital Producers: LaRae Thompson, Kue Chang
Senior Technical Architect: Carter Gruss
QA Manager: Jeff Man
Senior Web Developer: Todd Flom
SEO Strategist: Matt Helgeson
Analytics
Director of Marketing Analytics: Mac Smith
Business Intelligence Group Director: Melissa Hand
Marketing Analytics Visualization Specialist: Nia Kown
Senior Analytics Strategist: Katherine Liu
Analytics Strategist: Rory Uskavitch
Studio & Support
Studio Lead/Artists: Drew Stevens, Karen Wolcenski, Tabitha Herbranson
Senior Studio Editor: Jeffrey Lopus
Senior Visual Artist: Maya Rait, Serena Hodges
Visual Artist: Alejandro Romero
Asset Management: Shodee Sawyer
Proofreader: Jay Ditzer
PRODUCTION: Biscuit Filmworks
Directors: Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe
Founding Partner: Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer: Emily Skinner
Head of Production: Sean Moody
Producer: Krista Thompson
Production Supervisor: Laura Byrnes
Assistant Production Supervisor: Madison Lowe
Director of Photography: Trent Opaloch
First Assistant Director: Phil Nee Nee
Second Assistant Director: Amanda Petura
First Assistant Cinematographer: Scott Couzens
Second Assistant Cinematographer: Cynthia Greer
Gaffer: Ian Barrett
Key Grip: Shai Vera
Production Designer: Katharine Reynolds
Wardrobe Stylist: Alecia Ebbels
Hair/Makeup Artist: Anya Ellis
Food Stylist: Murray Bancroft
PRODUCTION SERVICES (VANCOUVER): Capital Media Company
EP/Managing Partner: Christian Allen
Head of Production/Partner: Keely Stothers
Assistant Head of Production: Rachael Battie
POST-PRODUCTION: Drive Thru
Senior Creative Editor: Mick Uzendoski
Creative Editor: Anthony Hawn
Executive Producer: Beth Wilson
Post Producer: Mike Balts
Flame Artists: Derek Johnson, Aaron Esterling, Randy Gackstetter, Mike Wisniewski
Motion Graphics: Ben Leisen
Color
Company: Company 3
Colorist: Sean Coleman
Color Grade Producer: Matt Moran
AUDIO: Yessian
Partner/Head of Production: Michael Yessian
Partner/Chief Creative Officer: Brian Yessian
Mnemonic Composer: Zack Rice
Audio Engineer/Mix/Sound Design: Jacob Wolfe
Audio Executive Producer: Chris Heidman
Audio Producer: Jon Mackey
Global Head of Creative Development: Jerry Krenach
Studio Assistant: Sydney Warren
PHOTOGRAPHY & STOP MOTION: Goldlime
Photographer: Jimmy Eagle
Photo Assistant: Mark Volser
Producer: Kristin Langerud
Production Manager: Taylor Dale
Scenic: John Hunt, Simon Schneider
Food Stylist: Madeline Fitzgerald
MUSIC
Music Company: Artlist
Track: “Sassy Swagger (Stripped Version)”
Artist/Composer: Louis Adrien
TALENT
On-Camera Talent:
Melissa Hughes (Deb), Niamh Taylor (Lynn), Keyosha Waugh (Shopper), Philbert Thomas (Shopper’s Husband), Benjamin Hart Hinds (Shopper’s Son), Brandy Le (Holiday Shopper)
Voiceover Talent:
Melissa Hughes, Niamh Taylor
