HEINZ Declares Breakfast a Ketchup-Worthy Meal

HEINZ is waking people up to a new truth: ketchup belongs at the breakfast table. While a controversial combination to many, the iconic brand is championing its ketchup as the go-to condiment for breakfast in an all-new 360 campaign.

With the help of Wieden+Kennedy, HEINZ has launched ‘HEINZ Breakfast Ketchup’– creative that leans into the wider cultural debate of ketchup with breakfast and reinforces the brand’s role as not only a classic, but also a bold, everyday choice.

For over 150 years, the unmistakable taste of HEINZ Ketchup has taken delicious foods to new heights. While many pair ketchup with lunch and dinner, 1 in 4 people also use it as their go-to condiment for breakfast. Naturally, this has sparked quite a debate on social media, revealing people either irrationally LOVE or HATE using ketchup with their breakfast.

For the first time ever, the global leader in ketchup is specifically turning its marketing focus to what science calls ‘the most important meal of the day’ via a 360 campaign where HEINZ is confirming that if it’s breakfast, It Has to be HEINZ, including:

• Classic HEINZ Ketchup bottles reimagined with limited-edition 'Breakfast Ketchup' labels, appearing on tables at popular diners across the country.
• Bold digital OOH placements in New York City subway stations that showcase HEINZ Ketchup in a maple syrup style glass bottle designed to catch the attention of morning commuters and remind them that HEINZ is the perfect build to any breakfast.
• A strategic partnership with The New York Times (a prime morning destination for news, activities, recipes, and more) including a custom Wordle game ad buy.
• Custom engagement prompts on Reddit (where much of the breakfast ketchup debate already occurs) to drive additional conversation.
• Widespread social media support including a cheeky content series starring comedian Gil Ozeri exploring the many delicious (and often absurd) ways to use “Breakfast Ketchup.”

“Go to any diner or breakfast spot in America, and you’ll almost certainly find a bottle of ketchup on the table. Yet, the question of whether ketchup belongs on breakfast foods is highly debated. Now, we’re taking a stand to show the world that HEINZ ketchup is the perfect breakfast accoutrement. Our new 360-campaign is designed to celebrate the fans who already know how great HEINZ is at breakfast, educate the haters on why HEINZ’s rich and unmistakable flavor is perfect for any breakfast bite, and evoke curiosity from anyone who hasn’t considered the combination.” said Jamie Mack, associate brand communications director, HEINZ US.

“Ketchup for lunch and dinner is a no brainer. But breakfast? It's a touchy subject. Some people swear by it on eggs, hash browns, and breakfast sandwiches. Others think it’s an abomination. After extensive social listening, we found tons of sentiment hating and loving on breakfast ketchup. So we decided to take a stand for Breakfast Ketchup lovers once and for all by spotlighting the most irrational behaviours from real Heinz fans. The campaign is designed to harness that debate to expand people’s expectations beyond the calcified and traditional ketchup eating occasions and get people to eat more Heinz with a polarising, yet normal idea: breakfast ketchup.” said Joe Bae, senior brand strategist.

The HEINZ Breakfast campaign and production were developed by Wieden Kennedy, with organic social media support from The Kitchen, Zeno Group on PR, and paid media support from Carat.