Heinz Installs Dispensing Billboards Outside Ketchup-Deprived Restaurants
Image courtesy of Heinz
Eateries that refuse to serve ketchup are now turning as red as a tomato—on the outside, at least—as Heinz is planting special kiosks in their vicinities so customers can finally complete their meals.
Dubbed Smack for Heinz, this creative activation dispenses with frustration by installing “smackable” billboards outside restaurants that don’t carry the iconic red bottle. It’s a playful nod to Heinz’s well-known bottle smack—a universal gesture of tough ketchup love. But it also serves a more strategic purpose. Chicago, for instance, is notorious for its ketchup aversion, and the company is hoping to appease hot dog eaters who miss the condiment by bringing it to their fingertips.
Image courtesy of Heinz
Beginning April 2, fans across the nation can report food establishments lacking Heinz ketchup on the Smack for Heinz website. Their whistle-blowing might just be enough to paint ketchup-starved restaurant façades red, as well as grant customers a QR code to digitally unlock a bottle for their next visit.
Image courtesy of Heinz
“The bottle smack is a universal symbol of the world’s love for Heinz. Knowing that there are restaurants all over the world who refuse to serve Heinz, we turned the Heinz smack into a way of helping people let out their frustration, and get the ketchup they want,” explains Geoff Baillie, creative director at Rethink, the creative agency behind the Smack for Heinz campaign and production. Carat handles paid media, The Kitchen manages social media, and Zeno Group is in charge of PR.
Image courtesy of Heinz
The grand takeaway is the unwavering devotion fans have for the sauce.
“One of the most consistent ways Heinz fans show their irrational love for our ketchup is their utter devastation and frustration when a restaurant doesn’t offer it,” shares Lizzy Goodman, brand communications manager at Heinz. “Underscoring our global creative platform, Smack for Heinz not only combats this frequent ketchup catastrophe, but also demonstrates to non-Heinz restaurants everywhere the lengths our fans will go to because ‘It Has to be Heinz.’”
[via Heinz, images courtesy]
