Situation:

Heinz Tomato Ketchup is a popular choice for food lovers in Turkey, but its brand integrity was being compromised by a widespread practice of "ketchup fraud". Small Turkish street food restaurants were refilling empty Heinz bottles with lesser quality ketchup, which misled customers and damaged the brand's reputation for quality and consistency.

Brief:

We were tasked with creating a campaign to address ketchup fraud and ensuring customers could identify genuine Heinz Tomato Ketchup. The goal was to remind food lovers of Heinz's authenticity and superior quality, while also empowering them to distinguish between genuine and imitation products.

Objectives:

Develop a solution to help customers identify genuine Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

Reinforce Heinz's brand identity and commitment to quality and consistency.

Increase usage of Heinz ketchup in street food restaurants.

Reduce fraud by discouraging restaurants from refilling bottles with non-Heinz ketchup.Strengthen brand loyalty and trust among customers.

The "Is That Heinz?" campaign focuses on addressing the issue of "ketchup fraud" in Turkey, where small street food restaurants refill empty Heinz bottles with lower quality ketchup to attract customers. The inspiration for this campaign came from the fact that Heinz Tomato Ketchup has a universal, consistent, and instantly recognizable red color, which distinguishes it from other brands.

The exact red color of Heinz Tomato Ketchup is identified using the world's universal Pantone color scale and added a stripe around the label. This innovative solution allowed customers to easily compare the ketchup inside the bottle against the label's edge color, enabling them to determine the authenticity of the product.

The campaign not only empowered customers to verify the genuineness of the product, but also reinforced Heinz's brand identity and commitment to quality. This simple yet effective design solution significantly improved customer experience and helped maintain Heinz's brand integrity.

The campaign was built on the insight that consumers trust and value the taste of genuine Heinz ketchup but were often misled by street food restaurants refilling Heinz bottles with lesser quality ketchup. The key message aimed to communicate the importance of authenticity and Heinz's commitment to delivering a consistent, quality product.

Target audience: The campaign targeted food lovers, particularly those who frequent street food restaurants, as well as the restaurant owners themselves.

The PR strategy involved

Social media content showcasing the new bottle design and instagram filter showcasing the ‘’True Heinz Color’’ and inviting consumers to join the conversation about authentic Heinz ketchup.

Engaging with restaurant owners, distributing the redesigned bottles and encouraging them to use and promote genuine Heinz ketchup.

The combination of assets created a powerful narrative that reinforced Heinz's brand values and sparked conversations about authenticity in the food industry.

Implementation:

We identified the exact shade of Heinz Tomato Ketchup using the Pantone color scale and designed "Is That Heinz?" bottles with the control label. We simultaneously developed an Instagram filter as a supportive asset for customers to check the ketchup color in restaurants

Timeline:

The campaign was executed in several phases:

Research and development of the control label

Production and distribution of the "Is That Heinz?" bottles.

Supporting it at Social Media and introduce it to consumers.

Placement:

The "Is That Heinz?" campaign was launched on social media platforms, primarily focusing on Instagram to maximize engagement and reach, also gaining visibility in street food restaurants, where the control label bottles were displayed and used.

Scale:

The campaign was implemented on a national level in Turkey. Bottles with the new control label were distributed to various restaurants across the country, and the Instagram filter was made available to all customers.

The average mealtime in Turkey is 1 hour and 58 minutes, during which consumers engage with the Heinz brand through redesigned bottles and discussions about its authenticity.

Proof of engagement: The campaign generated considerable social media interaction, including 800k likes, 100k organic shares, 2k tweets, and over 30 mentioned articles.

Owned media results: Despite no media budget, the campaign leveraged organic reach and engagement through social media platforms and influencer collaborations.

Earned media results: The innovative approach of the campaign garnered significant attention, with an estimated earned media value of $2.6 million.

Consumer loyalty: The campaign strengthened consumer loyalty by addressing the issue of counterfeit ketchup and providing a clear means to identify genuine Heinz products.

Brand perception: The "Is that Heinz?" campaign reinforced the brand's reputation for quality and authenticity, positioning Heinz as the preferred choice for ketchup among food enthusiasts and street food restaurants in Turkey.