A whopping 82% of Americans buy ketchup, but devotion to Heinz is dwindling because consumers perceive other ketchup brands as "good enough."

How could Heinz win back the ketchup conversation and become more relevant in pop culture? Social listening identified a powerful insight: Americans aren’t shy about sharing their ketchup confessions — the unexpected foods they love putting ketchup on, from potato chips to salads and even ice cream. We tapped into America's ketchup confessions and activated a team to respond in real time to anyone who shared their unique love of ketchup. When Patrick Mahomes, the top quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) confessed his controversial love for ketchup on steak, the ultimate American food faux pas, Heinz seized the opportunity and instantly responded to the online discussion. The result? More than 571 million impressions and the domination of ketchup social conversations without a single dollar spent.

In 2018, Patrick Mahomes, a top quarterback from the NFL (America’s professional football league) was surrounded by controversy for admitting he puts ketchup on his steak (a culinary faux pas in America). Heinz seized the opportunity and responded to the star in real time with an organic tweet: “Hey @PatrickMahomes, you give us 57 touchdowns, we’ll give you ketchup on your steak for life.” The current NFL record is 55 touchdowns, so we challenged Mahomes with a number synonymous with Heinz: 57. Our simple yet unique response changed the conversation around ketchup on steak. What was once seen as a faux pas turned into a rally cry for Heinz 57. Football fans showed their support, and we cheered him on by making organic posts every time he completed a touchdown pass. Even though Patrick Mahomes didn’t break the record, our tweet got the entire NFL talking about Heinz 57 Ketchup.

Our response to Patrick Mahomes celebrated his unique love for ketchup on his steak (the ultimate culinary faux pas in America), but also made Heinz 57 a part of his quest to make NFL history. Every Sunday, Heinz became an integral part of conversations surrounding Mahomes and with every touchdown, our real-time tweets dominated the social conversation on social, radio and TV. Our responses captured the nation's attention and reinforced Heinz 57 Ketchup as the nation’s preeminent Ketchup.

The execution was a single organic tweet from @HeinzKetchup_US to @PatrickMahomes on Nov. 15, 2018, in response to a Yahoo Sports news article that criticized his love for ketchup. The tweet was a simple challenge: complete 57 touchdown passes, two more than the current national record, and get Heinz 57 Ketchup for life. Within 48 hours, our one organic tweet became national news, earning more than 571 million media impressions. But it didn’t stop there. Our tweet sparked a new conversation in social about ketchup and steak, and football fans joined the social conversation by making their own Heinz memorabilia and encouraging Mahomes to score that lifetime supply. What was once an embarrassing confession became a reason to celebrate. Even though Mahomes didn’t break the record, our simple challenge became a cultural sensation all football season long.

• One tweet

• Zero dollars spent

• 571 million-plus media impressions

• $4.5 million in earned media

• 333 times more reach than average organic tweet

Our simple yet unique response to Mahomes united fans of both ketchup and football, and sparked a new conversation around ketchup on steak. What was once a culinary faux pas turned into a rally cry, changing the conversation from “that’s gross” to “yeah, Heinz.” Football fans joined the conversation and showed their support with fan-created Heinz memorabilia. To top it all off, our primary competitor in the ketchup category, Hunt’s Ketchup, offered to sponsor Mahomes, which only amplified people’s love for Heinz. Among those who talked about both ketchup brands, 70% spoke in favor of Heinz as the superior choice. And that’s how Heinz 57 Ketchup became a cultural sensation during the 2018 NFL season — without a single dollar spent.