Heinz Highlights How “It Has to Be Heinz” in Funny Campaign Exposing Restaurant Owners

Have you ever used a bottle of ketchup labelled Heinz in a restaurant and noticed that it didn’t taste quite right? If so, there’s a very real chance that the ketchup in the bottle labelled ‘Heinz’ is a generic ketchup pretending to be the thick & rich ketchup people know and love. 

Consumers are catching people refilling Heinz bottles with generic ketchup and sharing this behaviour on social media. Inspired by a Snapchat, Heinz’s latest campaign, ‘Ketchup Fraud,’ expresses the brand’s core belief that “It Has To Be Heinz,” by amplifying this behaviour in a bold and iconic way. The campaign spans large-scale OOH placements in NYC and Chicago, premium magazines, newspaper inserts and social media. 

Heinz enlists their ketchup fans across the U.S. to help make sure that when people see Heinz - it’s actually Heinz. Fans can tag their favourite restaurants that they have either caught in the act or suspect are committing ketchup fraud on Heinz’s Instagram (@heinz). Heinz will connect with the most tagged restaurants directly and work together with them to find a solution. And this solution ultimately helps consumers get the ketchup that they want, while supporting these local restaurants. 

The ‘Ketchup Fraud’ campaign and production was developed by Rethink, with Starcom’s Publicis 57 on U.S. media, and Zeno on public relations. 

Megan Lang, marketing director, Heinz North America said “The inspiration for this campaign came from a Snapchat. One simple but powerful Snapchat that we just couldn’t stop thinking about. We saw someone caught in the act of refilling Heinz with generic ketchup, which prompted us to dig in further – and through social listening we discovered this was a true and widespread behaviour. We thought, what better way to express our core brand belief that “It Has to Be Heinz” than to simply amplify an existing consumer behaviour in a supportive and funny way?”

Mike Dubrick, chief creative officer and partner for Rethink explained “It’s a real behaviour that we noticed all over the world and wanted to bring to light. It shows just how much weight the Heinz brand carries and how much even just the bottle speaks to quality. This project was a true cross-office collaboration, including our newly formed New York office. We really leaned on the whole team to bring to life such a global behaviour. While we’re flattered by the behaviour, ultimately, we want to make it unnecessary and are excited to work with the restaurants to do so.” 

Through Starcom’s Publicis 57 team, impactful media will encourage consumers to submit the restaurant they wish served Heinz, helping to stamp out Ketchup Fraud across America. Large-scale out-of-home placements in New York and Chicago, premium magazines, newspaper inserts, and promoted Instagram polls will drive engagement, amplify consumer voices, and prove that Heinz ketchup is the top restaurant choice.