Ketchup Spills? Heinz Has You Covered, Legally
When it comes to condiment accompaniments, there are so many things that ketchup pairs with. From savoury baked goods to chips, wraps, burgers and more, there’s one brand that it has to be – Heinz. Continuously solidifying its standing as the number-one ketchup brand, this time it’s taken to legally protecting customers from red sauce mishaps.
In the brand’s latest campaign by FP7McCann Dubai, Heinz developed an insurance and benefits package covering 57 different types of sauce-created claims, from spills and stains to freak accidents and pet catastrophes. With signature white and red branding throughout, there’s no doubt that each element of the online form for claims, website, social media efforts and campaign video has Heinz written all over it.
Accompanying the beautiful visuals, the brand’s signature humour also features in some brilliant copywriting which covers the 57 different claims, Cupid’s Curse being one of them – “The claimant’s angry lover applies Heinz ketchup to the claimant’s clothing, in an act of revenge.” With so many opportunities to use creative flair, the campaign has attracted Heinz lovers from around the world to share their unique stories.
To tell us more, the agency’s chief creative officer Federico Fanti speaks to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani.
LBB> When you sat down with Heinz Arabia to ideate this campaign, how did you land on the idea of ‘Ketchup Insurance’?
Federico> We gave ourselves the brief of finding unlikely creative solutions for Heinz that are rooted in fan truths. And the one truth we can all relate to is the fact that Heinz can get messy. Everyone has experienced a ketchup accident at some point. So we thought, how can we make the consumption experience better for customers? We can’t change our product. But we can give our fans more assurance, more comfort, and more support. For all important things in life, there’s insurance – be it health, wealth, or family. So why not provide insurance for food? It’s just as essential.
LBB> What were some of the stories which inspired you to go down this route, and what are some that you’ve heard since launching the campaign?
Federico> The stories started coming from our team in the brainstorming room itself. We’ve all had a ketchup accident. So it was no surprise that we found loads of content on social media to further validate the fact that ketchup accidents are a real experience for everyone, everywhere. We selected 57 stories we found online as the inspiration behind our 57 claims.
Since the launch, we’ve received applications that are surprisingly similar to the claims on our list. One of them is about a bottle splashing all over the claimant and their kids, causing quite a catastrophe.
Another interesting one features a Heinz sachet left unattended – the claimant’s cat happened to step right on it, causing the ketchup to squirt over its surroundings.
We also had a not-so-credible claim about Heinz spilling all over the interior of someone’s Ferrari. However, they failed to provide picture evidence of the accident which goes against our entry guidelines. But it was a decent attempt at getting a replacement Ferrari from us.
LBB> The brand identity of Heinz is always clear when it comes to its campaigns, with signature red and white. How did you use the brand’s signature style within the assets of this campaign?
Federico> Heinz’s brand identity worked to our advantage for this campaign. We wanted a clean, official, and very legal look. So, using white as the base of the ‘legal paperwork’ while the iconic Heinz red highlighted the key points, fine print, and other documentation.
LBB> How did this transpire into the website you created, as well as all of the legalities you included within the campaign?
Federico> Thankfully, Heinz Arabia has a great legal team with a great sense of humour. We drafted our version of legalities and finalised them with their team to ensure both our customers, and our brand are covered.
LBB> The 57 claims are hilarious, how long did it take to create the copy for that and what were some of the ideas which didn’t make it in?
Federico> This was indeed a very copy-driven campaign. And because each claim was inspired by a piece of content on social media, we were reliant on shortlisting interesting content to have a good collection of diverse claims. This took a couple of weeks to assess and perfect.
One claim that was eventually removed from our final list was ‘The Thing: The claimant spills such a large amount of ketchup on the floor that it becomes its own entity and crawls away to start a new life.’
It was inspired by a meme-style post we found on Twitter by a user we cannot disclose due to privacy restrictions. But the claim ended up sounding too fictional for our list. Hence, it had to go. It gave us a good laugh though!
LBB> Heinz is always mindful to differentiate itself through branding and tone of voice, which is captured in the Ts&Cs: ‘Other condiments, are simply not our jam.’ Why is humour such a big part of the process?
Federico> Humour is part of Heinz’s personality. It’s in their DNA. It also helps in making copy-led campaigns like this less draining for our audience. Imagine it being an ordinary legal copy. Would anyone read all of it? We rarely ever read the terms and conditions on our app subscriptions. So, as much as we wanted the campaign to have a very official, ‘legal’ feel, we kept it entertaining through humour.
LBB>Can you talk us through the visuals a little?
Federico> We added a visual leg to the campaign by creating a series of 57 posters that creatively illustrate every claim on our list. This was an interesting process because we collaborated with illustrators, artists, and even more art directors and designers from our own department! Here are three of them.
The posters have also been adapted to the Heinz labels on their squeeze bottles which have been distributed at Roadster and High Joint branches in Dubai.
LBB> How did fans react to the campaign and how many claims have you had already?
Federico> Fans are loving it! The applications are pouring in – we're even receiving some obviously fake ones from people just hoping to snag a free service from MyBenefits. Right now, we're at 351 applications and the team is hard at work reviewing each one to ensure they get the service they deserve.
But Heinz Ketchup Insurance isn't just a one-off. It's a legitimate program that we’re going to be sustaining so that more people can embrace Heinz without hesitation. So, stay tuned – we're expecting even more stories to come!
LBB> This is also a great opportunity to get stories from Heinz fans for future campaigns, have any stories inspired the next campaign idea already?
Federico> The stories are definitely giving us more insight on fan behaviour – where they consume Heinz, how they consume Heinz, and which Heinz product they consume most (sachet, squeeze bottle, or glass bottle).
We can’t confirm that something new is brewing. But we can’t deny it either ;)
More on this in the near future.
LBB> Would you like to share anything else?
Federico> I want to extend a heartfelt shoutout to all the incredible heroes who brought this beautiful project to life. From our ever-supportive clients to my amazing creative team, who stand by me every step of the way (trust me, I can be a handful at times), to the countless young talents who turned our poster series into a reality in record time. Their dedication and collaborative spirit brought a whole new dimension to the campaign.
So, dear ketchup enthusiasts, don't hesitate for another moment! For a comprehensive look at the campaign, including the legalities and the stunning posters, visit heinzketchupinsurance.com. Let's embrace the fun together!
