Heinz and Gut New York Unveil Creepy Creative Guaranteed to Make Fans Smile

Heinz is paying tribute to its fans once more by putting their all-consuming, irrational acts of love on full display, with a series of sinister new ads launched in time for Halloween.

‘Heinz Smiles’ created in partnership with Gut New York, responds to the insight that Heinz fans go all in for Heinz (tattoos, weddings… you name it) and are unapologetic about getting a little messy, challenging the status quo and generally defying dinner etiquette for the great taste of Heinz.

In fact, their love for Heinz is so irrational, so all consuming, that it’s often written all over people’s faces…literally.

With this as the creative insight, Heinz has released a trio of ads that feature three voracious fans with Heinz Tomato Ketchup smeared across their face, exaggerating their smiles and spotlighting their all-consuming love for Heinz. Because it tastes THAT good.

Hannah Winterbourne, Heinz lead for Europe and Pacific developed markets, commented, “We know that when it comes to Heinz our fans will go all in to get the ‘best-tasting’ ketchup, even if it leaves them red faced. With this as our inspiration, we’ve hacked a cultural moment, using our distinct Heinz personality and unique sense of humour to create something simple that speaks to the great taste of Heinz, and seeks to entertain our fans along the way. We can’t wait to see how fans react and hope to bring unexpected smiles to people’s faces this Halloween.”

The ads are accompanied by the words’ It Ha-Ha-Has to be Heinz’ in homage to the brand’s global brand platform ‘It Has to Be Heinz’ which launched last year and has contributed to global Heinz growth of +12%.

The multi-market campaign is being supported by the company’s in-house agency ‘The Kitchen’. Launched in 2020, The Kitchen exists to help brands move at the speed of culture by leveraging the companies scale to maximise efficiencies.

Lucas Bongioanni, chief creative officer, GUT New York added, “'Heinz Smiles' is all about amplifying people's irrational love for Heinz within this moment in pop culture. That messy experience of having ketchup smeared across your face was the perfect way to connect with global consumers and spark conversation. We're proud that the first work out of GUT New York elevates such an iconic brand by blending the timeless and the timely. And, we're grateful to have brave clients who trust our team to spot these opportunities and deliver brave creativity.”