In 2020, amidst a global pandemic, many brand messaging centered around safety, reassurance, history, and dependability. Heinz Ketchup didn’t want to say something to consumers, they wanted to give consumers something to do - and create an experience that brought consumers joy while they were stuck in their homes. Heinz created an activation that earned its way into both the cultural moment and into the living rooms of people staying at home. It garnered global attention and engaged consumers in a brand experience that could only be from Heinz ketchup.

Situation

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down across the globe and lockdown orders became the norm. During that time, the popularity of puzzles skyrocketed. But puzzles are slow. Heinz is synonymous with “slow” and when the entire world had a lot of time on their hands, Heinz had an opportunity to own the cultural moment.

Brief

When the pandemic began in 2020, it was a challenging time for brands - unsure of what messages to put into the world. The brief was to activate in the market in a way that felt quintessentially Heinz, and brought joy to consumers.

Objectives

Cement the iconic status of Heinz Ketchup by engaging consumers with an activation that would spark massive engagement and earn attention. The idea needed to set Heinz apart from other brands during the pandemic, and create a brand experience that could only be done by Heinz.

We scoured the internet and noticed search traffic for puzzles was up 112%. Luckily for us, this insight matched perfectly with the one and only iconically slow ketchup.

We created the world’s slowest puzzle. The Heinz Puzzle. A 570 piece puzzle – a nod to our 57 on our label – with every single piece in identical Heinz red. The puzzles would be custom designed and manufactured in just a matter of weeks. The puzzle pieces were in Heinz’s custom red pantone and made available to consumers around the world.

Heinz is enjoyed by just about everyone. It’s something the entire family enjoys. So, instead of targeting a specific demographic of people, we targeted places in the home Heinz could normally be enjoyed: living rooms and dining tables. This allowed us to focus on experiences that reinforced things Heinz is already known for in a modern and relevant way.

Most of the messaging around the pandemic was the same, so there was an opportunity for Heinz to do something different. Instead of having something to say, we wanted to give people something to do.

Launched in social, the campaign engaged consumers in over 17 countries, offering them a chance to win a puzzle. A select number of puzzles were produced and shipped to the winners around the world.

In addition, video content cemented the idea with consumers and drew global media attention. Puzzles were also shipped to influencers to further the earned potential in the press.

After receiving their puzzles, consumers were encouraged to complete and post their puzzle to social content, flooding our social channels with user generated content that further drove the brand experience online.

After the initial giveaway, the puzzle went on general sale to the public and sold out within days. Launched again for the holidays, it again sold out in days. And in 2021, Heinz signed a licensing agreement with a toy manufacturer to make the puzzle a permanent item at retail.

The puzzle was an instant hit, appealing to consumers across all 17 countries and generating buzz worldwide. It received over 1,000 pieces of earned coverage, and 1.25 billion earned impressions, resulting in $22,439,959 in earned publicity. Notable programs such as The Today Show, ABC World News, and The Tonight Show were among the many to pick it up.

The puzzle was sought after by people around the world, including celebrities like Jimmy Fallon who asked for a physical copy (and received it). In addition the puzzle was so popular that it started to appear on second had trading sites like Ebay, selling for over $100.