Ketchup lovers love Heinz, but generally hate the fact that it takes forever to pour out of the bottle. Yes, everyone knows that Heinz is slow. But what many don't know is that Heinz's slowness is only proof of its superior formula and quality ingredients.

But preaching this to the public with an educational campaign wasn't going to cut it. We had to send the message – Heinz-style, with Heinz’s trademark humour. We wanted people to appreciate Heinz's slowness themselves. So we turned it into a fun game in which the winner is actually the loser a.k.a the slowest on the ramp.

Through this campaign, we aimed to raise awareness of Heinz's quality. It's essentially a superiority campaign cleverly disguised as a game.

Slowmaster 57 is unlike anything ever created by a condiment producer. By turning Heinz’s scientific quantifier quality test into a family-friendly game people can play at home, the brand created an ingenious new way of getting customers to actively prove the ketchup’s superiority over its competitors, for themselves.

Additionally, by leveraging all the media hype around the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, the campaign garnered major exposure both nationally and internationally, by championing the virtue of going slow, in a country where everyone is obsessed with fast cars.

And finally, by incorporating a fun, cheesy 80’s campaign look-and-feel, and hilariously corny tone-of-voice, consumers couldn’t help but notice the eye-catching messaging in all of its nostalgic glory.

The people of the UAE have very specific tastes when it comes to sauces. They enjoy local favorites like garlic mayo, and don’t always reach for the nearest bottle of Heinz ketchup. Additionally, Heinz faces a lot of competition in the local ketchup market, where numerous competitors undercut it in price, while often imitating its iconic bottle shape and/or label. This means the brand can only really compete on its most valuable asset – its one-of-a-kind quality. Luckily, the F1 Grand Prix arrived in a nation full of ultrafast car enthusiasts, providing the perfect opportunity for Heinz to leverage the media frenzy in order to showcase its scientifically-tested, slow-pouring tomato sauce. Because a slower pour means better quality. Our audience was primarily our fans – people who love ketchup, but hate waiting for it.

We launched the Slowmaster 57 online during the final Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi with our very own live race on YouTube – the slowest race – with a regionally relevant influencer to host and commentate on the race.

Prior to our race, we also championed slowness on the actual F1 track via YouTube bumpers that cheered on the slowest races on the track during the actual F1 races.

We also created an 80's style toy commercial that informed the public about the purpose behind Slowmaster 57 in a playful manner.

We then placed Slowmaster 57 across the shelves of locally-famous gaming cafe – The Hive. Hundreds of Slowmaster 57s sold in toy stores in the UAE. Thousands of ketchup lovers are now more tolerant and appreciative of Heinz's slowness.

Number of Slowmaster 57s produced: 1000

Sale price: 99 AED

Duration: November 17 2023 - December 11 2023

Impressions: 31.4M

Reach: 6.7M

Engagement Rate: 40%

Increase in followers: +20.4%

Heinz Ketchup Volume Market share UAE +1% (Nov 2023 vs Dec 2023)

Heinz Ketchup Increase in sales value +32% (Nov 2023 vs Jan 2024)

Heinz Ketchup Increase in sales volume +58% (Nov 2023 vs Jan 2024)

By associating with the Grand Prix and gaining the resulting PR, the brand dramatically increased its awareness amongst consumers locally and internationally. And because Slowmaster 57 is a game, it marked the first time a quality test became playable, promoting a new change in behaviour with how consumers interact with the sauce. Overall, the campaign reaffirmed Heinz’s position as the ketchup brand with the coolest, culturally relevant advertising that always wows consumers.