Heinz Tomato Ketchup Pasta Sauce started when we found a real, polarizing insight when conducting a social listening research about pasta in the UK: people adding ketchup to pasta.

This same insight sparked the highest sales rate of the entire range, while increasing sales for the rest of the products in the range (and getting a couple of haters all way long).

Without a firm strategic base that not only allowed us to tap into the saucy conversation but to become it, we wouldn't have been able to capitalize on this never-ending debate with the launch of Ketchup Pasta Sauce.

After more than 150 years growing tomatoes, Heinz finally launched pasta sauces. But let’s be real – it was late for a tomato pasta sauce launch. In fact, it was ridiculous how long it took.

Embracing our witty TOV we recognized our mistake and apologized to the public, through “Ridiculously Late. Ridiculously Good”. A platform that also tapped into cultural moments that were also ridiculously late, i.e. the Lionesses winning the 2022 Euros.

A year later, we grew our platform with a fame idea that generated a lot of buzz: Heinz x Absolut, inspired by Gigi Hadid’s viral “Penne alla vodka”.

During the third year we emphasized brand superiority, focusing on everything that made the range different, launching a concept with greater brand presence. Ridiculously good, Ridiculously Heinz.

We needed more. A fame idea that put us in everyone’s mouth once again.

Heinz is a long-established, highly trusted brand in the UK market. From baked beans to ketchup the brand is a British household staple. Yes, also in Buckingham Palace. Along its history it has established a clear and recognizable TOV based on its witty personality.

In order to bring excitement to the pasta category, it was key to embrace creativity at the speed of culture, hopping onto TikTok trends and cultural moments relevant for the audience.

And it only felt right for Heinz to jump into the conversation that had already started on social media (mainly TikTok) about whether Ketchup on pasta was outrageous or not. The platform was filled with Italians at the verge of a breakdown when shown people’s pasta recipes featuring Ketchup.

The brand was facing a complicated context, with two major players and private label attacking from the other side. With the launch campaign and Absolut collaboration, we shook a dormant category, bringing back the excitement. For the third year, Heinz Pasta Sauces needed to keep growing, bringing even more excitement, with a consistent idea and strategy.

Our interpretation of it was to generate some good noise (as well as sales, obviously). Pasta Sauces was boring until we landed on it, so needed to keep the fun going; that’s why we decided to keep consistency with first year's campaign, creating something that was relevant for consumers by tapping into culture.

We run a social listening research to learn what the conversation was about pasta in the UK. That’s how we found a trend pranking people by putting ketchup on pasta. The trend had fueled an already existing debate (similarly to pineapple on pizza), with lovers and haters quickly joining.

That was the breakthrough moment: It was the ideal setting to leverage our identity as #1 brand on Tomato Ketchup (with 98% awareness in the UK) while staying faithful to what consumers love about us – taste – and how they consume it – with pasta. All this while underlining what sets us apart: we’re not Italian.

The insight: Heinz ketchup is so loved, consumers add it to everything, everywhere. Even to their spaghetti.

The strategic decision: We decided to offend centuries of pasta etiquette by proposing Heinz to join the debate by launching a Ketchup flavored pasta sauce.

Given the debate was already there, and there was equally lovers and haters, we decided to make consumers pick sides, provoking more debate under the concept: “Ridiculously wrong?”

Execution

1. We teased the campaign referring to the iconic ‘Pass the Heinz’ ad from Mad Men. But with our twist. We replaced Don Draper’s burgers and fries with different types of pasta and presented it on the streets of London and social media.

2. Then, launched the campaign by revealing the saucy question. Expanding the conversation not only in UK but also in Italy, where 82% of its population thinks that putting ketchup on pasta is a crime.

3. And then, went the extra mile: we placed a large billboard in Milan to invite the Italians to give us their opinion on the controversial launch, supporting the activation with Italian influencers and a display campaign on social media.

By pissing an entire country off, Heinz Ketchup Pasta Sauce became the product with the highest sales rate of the entire range, increasing to 35 units per store per week, with a sold out in Tesco – surpassing by far our strongest competitor, Dolmio, during the promotion.

Not only was the new product sold, but also the entire Heinz Pasta Sauces range grew by +38% during the campaign.

We achieved more than 500M impressions in earned media, appearing in more than 600 media internationally. Igniting a social debate with #KetchupOnPasta reaching 12M organic impressions and + 6% ER vs 3% average.

The activation in Italy achieved 20M views on TikTok and Meta, and 3M impressions from the OOH in Milan in just one day. Italians definitely hated the idea, and spread the word, resulting in more than 45M in earned media.

And obviously