Kraft Canada is once again spreading its brand across the country, but this time with a national out-of-home campaign and five-city tour to promote its peanut butters.

Last year, Kraft launched an Ontario-based campaign that featured various symbols drawn into peanut butter that has been spread on a slice of toast.

Kraft decided to spread the campaign nationwide, adding more symbols to the line-up, after the success of last year’s effort, said Jordan Fietje, senior product manager, marketing, for Kraft Canada.

A heart, happy face, peace sign and sunshine are among the symbols used for this year’s effort, which includes billboards and transit shelter ads from Toronto’s DraftFCB.

Research following last year’s campaign showed consumption increased, said Fietje.

“The real goal of the whole campaign was to see if we could remind consumers how good they feel when they eat peanut butter,” he said.

This year, Kraft has included the symbols on its packaging. One of the symbols now appears on the top of the lid, and on the seal.

Kraft has also extended its “Spread the Feeling with Free Hugs” event, developed by MacLaren Momentum, to include four additional markets (the event only ran in Toronto last year). Kraft donates one jar of peanut butter to local food banks for every hug given to the Kraft Peanut Butter Bears named Smoothie and Crunchy.

Kraft hopes to donate 50,000 jars by the end of the tour which wraps up at the end of August.

Kraft has already hosted similar events in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, with two more events scheduled for Edmonton and Vancouver later this month.

Virtual hugs can also be sent online at SpreadTheFeeling.ca. Collectively, the site and events have resulted in more than 33,100 jars of peanut butter being donated.

While online, consumers can virtually draw their feelings into Kraft Peanut Butter on toast. First they pick their favourite bread: white, whole-wheat or dark rye. Then, it’s placed into a toaster where they can pick the level of “toastedness.” After the peanut butter has been spread, users can apply a symbol, letter, or freehand design. Once completed, consumers can post it to the PB art gallery, or share it with friends.

Kraft is supporting each event with media outreach from Edelman, as well as ads in the free daily Metro. MediaVest handled the buy.