2022 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

As Covid-19 restrictions started to ease across Canada in summer 2021, people were doing something they hadn’t done in a year: jumping in the car and heading to cottages, parks, and destinations. And a huge part of those destinations: cookouts and BBQs.

The agency’s challenge was to inject Heinz into these summer moments in a modern, unexpected, and ownable way that would create talk value with the goal of keeping Heinz top of mind.

For the first time in over a year, roads would be packed with cars on their way to cottages, BBQs, and get-togethers. One way people attempt to get around summer traffic is by using navigation apps like Waze, which highlights traffic with a red line to indicate things
are moving slowly.

Heinz Ketchup goes through rigorous tests to ensure the quality and taste is the exact same in every bottle. One of those tests ensures Heinz viscosity allows it to pour at the same speed every time – 0.045km/hour to be exact. Said another way, Heinz = Slow. Heinz is famous for being slow. So, they wanted to show consumers that this summer, going slow = a good thing.

Partnering with Waze, they utilized their app’s built-in navigation and speed tracking system to target Canadians across the country that were stuck in traffic. Using real-time traffic data, they were able to track the speed of traffic. If traffic went at the speed of Heinz Ketchup, the car on the app would change to a bottle of Heinz, and a voucher for free ketchup and a Burger King Whopper would automatically be sent to their inbox (to avoid any driving distractions).

The campaign launched right before the July long weekend, when summer traffic is at its heaviest. They blasted their message across their social channels with a hero video explaining the campaign. It ran across all their platforms for awareness: Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter and Youtube.

DOOH boards were strategically placed along highways with the highest traffic in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. When traffic was heaviest, their long copy billboards shared a message to drivers stuck in traffic that featured their offer and how to unlock it. When traffic was lighter, they shared a generic brand message.

Drivers stuck in traffic often listen to music and podcasts to pass the time. Working with Spotify, they created radio ads and companion banners to further spread awareness of their offer.

They also worked with a range of micro-influencers to seed the campaign launch.

This was truly a high-performing brand awareness and recognition play for Heinz. The save rates of the takeover ads were 34%, vs.
industry benchmarks of 22%.

The campaign achieved a whopping 147,730,225 PR impressions. Additionally, Spotify reached 606,932 impressions and attained an outstanding 97.4% audio completion rate. Best of all, by hijacking slow moving roads, they were able to get 44% of Waze users caught in traffic to redeem a bottle of Heinz before heading to
their cottage or BBQ.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman
Executive Creative Director: Mike Dubrick
Head of Art / Creative Director : Joel Holtby
Associate Creative Director / Art Director : Zachary Bautista
Art Director: Danielle Zablocki
Writer: London Choi
Designer: Tulio Pinto
Studio Designer: Justin Chan
Strategist: Sean McDonald, Julian Morgan
Producers: Alex Butt, Kyle Hicks (Digital)
Editor: Emmett Maloney
VFX / Colour Artist: Emmett Maloney
Group Account Director: Amy Greenspoon
Account Director: Kai de Bryun Kops
Account Manager: Allie Kennedy
Audio House: Grayson Music
Audio Engineer: Brian Bernard
PR Agency: The Colony Project
Media Agency: CARAT
Community Management: The Kitchen

Client:
Head of Brand Build Communications & Innovation: Nina Patel
Associate Director, Brand Building & Innovation – Taste Elevation: Daniel Gotlib
Sr. Associate Brand Manager – Innovation, Condiments & Sauces: Keeyan Arvandi