Raos will have its first-ever float in the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade | Money [Video]

New York (CNN) — Rao’s Homemade, the fast-growing sauce brand that originated in its namesake Harlem restaurant, is perhaps getting its biggest national exposure to date: a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Campbell’s Company, which bought the premium sauce brand as part of a $2.7 billion deal last year, is thrusting Rao’s into the spotlight at the annual event that last year drew a record-breaking 28.5 million viewers on NBC and Peacock.

The promotion is part of the company’s efforts to grow Rao’s into a $1 billion brand as Campbell’s broadens its portfolio beyond the declining condensed soup business. One challenge for Rao’s is that carries a significantly higher price tag compared to its competitors, an issue as inflation-weary customers hunt for bargains.

Alan Creveling, Rao’s vice president of marketing, told CNN that the brand’s awareness among consumers lags far behind its entrenched competitors.

In fact, only about 60% of shoppers have heard of Rao’s while other …