Heinz Ketchup Crashes Formula 1 with Celebration of Slowness

As the world’s fastest cars speed around the Yas Marina Circuit at over 200mph for the finale of the F1 season, Heinz Arabia, along with FP7 McCann, doubled down on its celebration of slowness as a true sign of quality with the Slowmaster 57, the world’s first-ever Ketchup Grand Prix.

The Ketchup Grand Prix introduces the Slowmaster 57, the world’s first ketchup 'racetrack' that pits Heinz against other condiments to highlight the brand’s quality flow of no more than 0.028 miles per hour. Heinz also used the backdrop of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to celebrate slowness with targeted ads showering the event’s slowest drivers with praise. 

Inspired by the Heinz factory's 'quantifier,' a device used to evaluate the thickness and consistency of ketchup batches, the Slowmaster 57 ketchup racetrack ramp is designed to ensure no ketchup breaks the quality and thickness speed limit proving that the slowest ketchup is one with the best, richest, and freshest ingredients. In other words, Heinz.

Ketchup enthusiasts and curious consumers can now build their own ramps and observe ketchup oozing down at an astonishingly slow pace, maintaining a speed of 0.028 miles per hour. This unhurried journey emphasized Heinz's dedication to using only the highest-quality ingredients and the meticulous care taken in crafting their world-famous ketchup.

The ramp is available via the Talabat delivery app and patrons of HIVE board game cafes across the region will be 'served' the game with any dishes that come with ketchup as a side. Users who try the ramp and tag Heinz will get a chance to win the ramp.

Partnering with Silverpush, the brand used AI to recognise the names, faces, and racing brands of the slowest racers in the race, and developed custom dynamic ads based on the 10 most predicted slowest racers and showcasing content that cheers them on and celebrates their slowness.

As the Formula 1 race unfolded, Heinz's content about their unconventional ketchup race garnered attention and diverted traffic from the high-speed motorsport event to their quirky and compelling competition. It was a bold move that made a memorable statement about Heinz's commitment to ketchup quality, challenging the conventional notion that faster is always better.

The Slowmaster 57 reminds everyone that sometimes, slow really is better.