Heinz is asking whether its new Tomato Ketchup Pasta Sauce is ‘ridiculously wrong or ridiculously good’ – and, yes you did read that correctly.
Devised by creative agency Wunderman Thompson Spain, the campaign, ‘Ridiculously wrong?’, aims to address the ‘great debate’: is ketchup on pasta right or wrong?
Showcased across out-of-home (OOH) in key high footfall sites and on social, the campaign is supported by influencer activity, designed to encourage debate around the limited-edition sauce which combines tomato pasta sauce with the iconic taste of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.
A teaser campaign, which went live before the main launch, plays on the brand’s ‘Pass the Heinz’ ad, which featured in the Mad Men series and wasroduced by David Miami agency to create hype before the product’s release.
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Wunderman Thompson Spain have replaced Don Draper’s burgers and fries with different types of pasta, creating provocative posters which ran across OOH in London.
In addition, in a tongue-and-cheek move, the food brand also sent the sauce to influencers in the UK who have both foodie profiles and connections to Italy.
“Never say never! Rightly or wrongly, adding Tomato Ketchup to pasta is more common than you think, and with this as our insight, we launched our Ketchup pasta sauce so that pasta fans can enjoy the great taste of Heinz, judgement free,” said Heinz new ventures director, Caio Fontenele.
“This limited-edition launch is the latest in a series of innovations responding to people’s irrational and long-lasting love for Heinz.
“However, for people who think having ketchup on pasta is totally unacceptable, we still have seven other delicious Heinz Tomato Pasta Sauce recipes ready for them,” added Fontenele.
Wunderman Thompson Spain, executive creative director Pipo Virgós, added: “Ketchup on pasta might sound unusual, but it’s a match made in heaven.”
“What better way to promote this new ‘Ridiculously Heinz’ product than a campaign that fuels debate with a touch of irony? We’re big fans of the product ourselves and can’t wait to see what people think.”
The latest campaign follows in the wake of a series of new ventures undertaken by the Kraft Heinz brand. Recently, it teamed up with paint brand Lick for a new ketchup-inspired hue, Red HTK 57.
Other ventures include the introduction of a pasta sauce range as the brand urged consumers to ‘pick your level’.