Katz's Delicatessen just put something new on its menu, and it has Ben Stiller to thank.
The 138-year-old New York institution is adding Stiller's Soda to its menu, with a Shirley Temple flavor becoming the first of its kind to appear at Katz's.
The addition marks the deli's first new soda in decades, an early proof point for celebrity marketing done through comedy instead of straightforward product placements.
To announce the tie-up, Stiller sat down with content creator Nicolas Heller, known as "New York Nico," for an interview shot through production company M ss ng P eces.
Stiller arrived under the impression he was filming a segment for the stage musical Cats instead of a soda campaign.
However, he mustered through it and stayed in character for the entire sit-down.
His commitment to the concept reflects in his wardrobe.
Severance costume designer Sarah Edwards sourced his Munkustrap costume, tracking down original crew members from the Broadway production to help locate an original wig from the show.
A Costume, Not a Punchline
The three-minute ad starts with Stiller taking a seat in Katz's, preparing for his interview in full Cats get-up.
Clearly, he missed the memo.
He and Heller talk about their misunderstanding, with Stiller admitting he hadn't even checked the email.
The rest of the ad is filled with deadpan comedic quips, a breakdown of the new soda, a confession that Stiller has never actually seen Cats, and more fun banter.
Katz's has built its reputation on cultural cameos it never had to buy.
The deli's most famous marketing moment is actually an unpaid one.
To this day, the 1989 scene from When Harry Met Sally is still marked by a sign above the booth where it was filmed.
In the decades since, Katz's has relied on organic celebrity visits and word of mouth over produced content.
That's what makes this brand partnership one of its more deliberate marketing plays in recent memory.
Borrowed Confusion Becomes the Ad
There is a commercial case for Katz Deli to pursue a stunt like this.
A study published in the Journal of Marketing Communications found celebrity credibility carries particular weight for low-involvement purchases such as carbonated soft drinks.
This figure helps explain why Katz's let an actor's private soda brand headline its first menu change in decades.
Three lessons for marketers stand out:
- Experiment with formats that align with the persona: An interview structure lets Stiller's personality and deadpan humor shine, making the marketing effort feel natural.
- Ground the stunt in something concrete: The Shirley Temple flavor and the "first new soda in decades" detail give the angle a news hook once the laugh lands.
- Commit to the but: Sourcing an original Cats wig is a sign of real effort put into the ad, and viewers will register the collaboration as more than a matching hashtag.
A soda launch rarely earns unprompted attention on its own.
Katz's found a route around that by letting the wrong assumption become the whole story.
Our Take: Can Comedy Carry a Century-Old Deli and a New Soda Brand?
For both of them, yes, but for different reasons.
Katz's gets to stay exactly what it's always been: a reliable joint for sandwiches, borrowing someone else's fame to make a menu change feel like news.
Stiller's Soda gets the harder thing.
It's a newcomer to the beverage aisle, sitting inside 138 years of credibility it hasn't earned yet.
We think that's the real trade here, because one side lends history while the other lends attention.
And only time will tell whether the celebrity soda can live up to the deli's name.
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