When HEINZ Met Hip-Hop
When it comes to brand collaborations, few feel as effortlessly authentic as HEINZ’s partnership with GRAMMY-winning producer Mustard. What started as a lighthearted nod to his namesake - correctly pronounced, 'MUSTAAAAAAAAAARD' - has evolved into a full-fledged product launch, with a spectacular debut during the 2024 GRAMMYs.
At the heart of this campaign is a perfect fusion of culture, creativity, and consumer insights. With Mustard’s deep roots in the music industry and his well-documented love for HEINZ mustard, the collaboration feels less like a marketing stunt, and more like a natural evolution of both his brand and the iconic condiment.
Talking strategy with Todd Kaplan, chief marketing officer at The Kraft Heinz Company, LBB’s April Summers discovers how the team behind this genius commercial transformed the initial spark of an idea into a multifaceted rollout. With its ears to the ground, HEINZ consistently delivers topical and trend-setting campaigns, helping them stay relevant in pop culture while generating genuine brand buzz. Here’s how…
LBB> Tell us about the initial spark behind this partnership, and how you decided to move from social banter to a full-blown product launch and GRAMMY spot?
Todd> The partnership with Mustard makes sense on so many levels. And, it’s something Mustard and HEINZ fans have long been calling for. Beyond the incredible music, his fans have come to know him for the custom chain he often sports that features a diamond-encrusted HEINZ mustard bottle. He’s also made it no secret that HEINZ mustard is his secret ingredient when he’s grilling. Over the last year, we’ve stoked the flames of this excitement with social banter and teasers, and we’re so excited to have announced that we are making the collaboration ‘official’.
As we considered the key tentpoles of the partnership, given Mustard is one of the top producers in music and a food aficionado, bringing him in to remix our iconic mustard was a must-do. We also knew the GRAMMYs were an exciting, celebratory moment for Mustard at a pivotal time in his career, so we thought, ‘what better way to make it an even more impactful night for him than to drop the collab he’s been manifesting for years during the show itself?’.
LBB> How did you collaborate with Mustard creatively, and what unique insights did he bring to the table that shaped this campaign?
Todd> Mustard has been involved in every step of the creative process in his role as HEINZ’s newly appointed (and first-ever) ‘chief mustard officer’. He’s been driving culture for years, and his perspective has been critical in developing every part of the exciting year we have planned for fans.
For the GRAMMY Awards spot, he partnered closely with the team to ensure it was exactly what we all envisioned. He brought this same passion, expertise, and commitment to creating his limited-edition flavour, and recently came to the HEINZ kitchen to work with our R&D experts to develop his unique sauce. I can’t share too much yet, but Mustard and the R&D team mixed up and tried several different combinations before ultimately selecting the one that felt perfect.
LBB> The campaign centres around a strong cultural element, with Mustard being a major staple in the music industry and a prominent cultural figure. How important is it for brands like HEINZ to stay relevant in pop culture, and what role do partnerships like this play in that?
Todd> It’s paramount. Consumers are overwhelmed, and brands can no longer approach marketing as traditional ‘advertising’. That’s why with brands like HEINZ, we are trying to continue to forge a deeper connection to cultural passion points that our consumers care about - things like music. But as we do so, it is paramount that we collaborate with partners who are authentic fits. Mustard has been at the forefront of music culture for over a decade, and he’s been a HEINZ fan for even longer than that, making him the perfect partner to work with us to bridge the worlds of music, culture, and culinary excellence.
LBB> From a marketing perspective, how do you measure success for a campaign like this that has such a broad and multifaceted strategy – from the GRAMMY spot to social media amplification and OOH placements? What key metrics are you tracking?
Todd> The campaign is focused on fuelling culture and engagement with HEINZ and Mustard fans by showing up uniquely with intentionality and authenticity – and we’re measuring success against those goals. We want to reach both sets of fans and, given what a pivotal moment the GRAMMYs was for Mustard, launching a primetime spot (HEINZ’s first-ever at the GRAMMYs) teasing this epic new collab felt like the perfect moment to excite and delight them.
LBB> Mustard’s limited-edition mustard flavour is a highly anticipated product drop, so how did you balance creating anticipation and exclusivity while maintaining HEINZ’s commitment to quality and consistency?
Todd> We knew we wanted to announce the collab and tease the product at the GRAMMYs, but we also wanted to spark curiousity and conversation about the flavour, while Mustard worked closely with our R&D experts to finalise his secret recipe. Much like HEINZ, Mustard is someone who goes all in when he creates something, and that shared ethos was critical in developing the new sauce. I can’t share too much, but I can say it’s truly an amazing remix that we know our collective fans will love.
LBB> Finally, what advice do you have for brand marketers looking to create campaigns that feel both instinctively reactive to cultural moments and thoughtfully strategic in their execution? What key lessons have you learned from this collaboration?
Todd> My team and I talk a lot about something I call, ‘Marketing that Happens’. In its simplest form, marketing that cuts through the clutter and drives organic interest and conversation (beyond the walls of paid media). It starts with inviting ‘culture in’ versus just pushing your ‘brand out’.
‘Marketing that Happens’ is about taking swings that, with the right cultural insight, the right brand connection point, and the right execution, can send a big ripple far beyond its original moment of impact.
