In Germany people buy mayonnaise on auto pilot based on what their moms bought – and because Heinz is still just a small player in the category, this was a problem. We needed to activate shoppers to make a switch by proving that Heinz is the best tasting mayonnaise on the shelf.

Hand on heart, we all abandon products in the supermarket, right? We find something better, cheaper, tastier, and just like that the other product goes back on a random shelf where it doesn’t belong. We showed exactly what happens to inferior mayonnaise “The moment you find Heinz.”

Heinz Mayonnaise has a very small market share compared to its main competitor(s). Although Heinz mayo offers proven taste superiority, the German mayo consumer is still heavily influenced by the mayonnaise their moms bought. That is why we needed to get Mayonnaise buyers under the age of 44 who are currently buying their mayonnaise on auto pilot to make a switch to Heinz Mayo by convincing them that Heinz is the superior choice.

Through an integrated campaign, we humorously poked fun at the absurd abandoned places mayonnaises end up in the supermarket thanks to Heinz. We used various media including cinema advertising, social media, OOH, digital OOH and POS. Based on the task to convince shoppers to make a switch and the campaign insight itself, the point of sale became the most important touchpoint for the entire campaign. A creative highlight of our POS activities was a cardboard Heinz mayo display that helped collect abandoned mayo’s before they end up on the wrong shelf. The campaign ran for just under 6 weeks from November to December with high impact in three strategic areas within Germany (Munich, Düsseldorf and Essen). This campaign served as the foundation for a much broader national and international offensive to follow based off results that have far exceeded industry benchmarks.

Sales growth within the advertised regions (Munich, Düsseldorf and Essen) skyrocketed to 61%, and almost 100% in the focus area of Düsseldorf. Resulting in a 7% value uplift and 4.4% volume uplift in a declining mayo category.

The unbranded ad recognition was +122,25% vs. industry benchmarks. Our campaign contributed to achieving 30% higher Brand Buzz Score than our main competitor. We won 3,8% more market share (volume) with a total category rotation increase of 48% in just a few weeks.