The global mayonnaise market was valued at US$ 12.3 Billion in 2022. The battle for the leadership position in the category is tough and has Heinz as the second runner-up. The mayonnaise category doesn’t have much innovation. Its consumers are traditionalists and remain faithful to the leading brand, leaving little room for growth. Because of that, Heinz focused on younger consumers 25/35+ who are more open to new things. Based on research, we arrived at possible flavors that could have traction with the group and black garlic was one of them.

To attract this consumer, in addition to seeking innovation in flavors, we had to build more than a campaign. We aimed at creating entertainment to generate buzz and get under the radar of this younger audience. And that's what we did.

The leading ingredient of Heinz's new product is garlic, which, according to European folklore, is one of the main Vampire repellents. The Heinz Black Garlic Mayo limited edition packaging was adapted with two holes like Vampire fangs and had a seal that glowed in the dark – since any Vampire attack would happen at night.

But where could one find Vampires to test Heinz Black Garlic Mayo’s effectiveness? The Transylvania region, in Romania, of course. So that is where we set off to create a brand experience and a pop-up store. The location was the Boldu-Cretuleasca forest, near the Witches Marsh, the place where presumably Dracula (aka Vlad Tepes, ruler of Țara Romaneasca, in the XV Century) was beheaded. The site is filled with incredible stories and legends. And now a new one was about to be written: about a bunch of fearless mayo lovers on a Halloween night.

Would you risk your neck to buy a special edition of Heinz? That was the teaser Heinz shared on social media to draw attention to the new store, which opens on Halloween at midnight for one night only.

We invited vampires and the world’s biggest Mayo fans to come and get their hands on our new product. We worked with influencers to drive excitement ahead of and during the store opening. They teased content and shared live geolocation links for those who dared to make the journey.

Our key tribe for this campaign was ‘experience seekers’ – global consumers who love to try new products. They over-index as being young and adventurous, and a high value on international brands. Influencers and social media play a big role in their lives, while travel and discovering new ingredients are key turn-ons. They love a social media #challenge, just like our Vampire enterprise.

Deep in the Boldu-Cretuleasca forest, an isolated mausoleum was built, shaped like a keystone. Creepy, despite its resemblance with the distinctive brand asset. The location and timing emphasized other aspects of the product, such as the bottle holes alluding to Vampire fangs and the glow-in-the-dark seal. Influencers, mayo fans, and self-titled Vampires were invited to gain premium access to the limited edition.

To support this storytelling, we also created a suite of social assets, coffin-shaped media mailers, PR, OOH, and in-restaurant merchandise to showcase our product. The campaign ran in 13 markets: the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, and China.

The Vampire store created to launch Heinz Black Garlic Mayo was celebrated by Adweek within their top Halloween campaigns. The activation sparked expressive positive sentiment towards the campaign and our brand; 489 million impressions; and several comments from consumers saying they wanted the product to be available in their country.

The Heinz Black Garlic Mayo sold out in stores within 4 days in Australia and New Zealand. We successfully recruited new customers to Heinz with 53% of purchases from unique customers in Australia. In the UK, this also was the #1 launch in the mayo category in the last 3 years in key retailer ASDA. Lastly, 400+ people made the journey deep into the forest to visit our pop-up Vampire store, with all products sold within 1 hour of opening. Some traveled as far as 75km to get their hands on our mayo.