2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Heinz Ketchup is world famous, but the brand was in danger of becoming seen as old by younger audiences. Affinity scores declined as they struggled to stay top of mind, and for the first time ever, Heinz was starting to fall out of the cultural conversation.

Rethink's objective was to reinvigorate the emotional connection with younger consumers who didn’t see Heinz as a contemporary brand, by captivating them with a brand experience that would connect with Gen Z and millenials while reinforcing
the iconic status of Heinz Ketchup.

Beloved brands that stand the test of time often eclipse their role as consumer products and become contributors to culture at large. Rethink believes that Heinz is one of those brands, a cultural contributor for over 150 years. They saw an opportunity to emphasize this role with a branded collaboration targeting
a younger audience.

Rethink noticed thrifting was playing a major role in pushing the fashion industry forward, with 62% of Gen Z and millennials looking for second-hand clothing rather than purchasing new. Used clothes with wear and tear, and even stains, were being embraced. Heinz Ketchup has been staining clothes for 150 years, so they decided to reframe the stain to a positive while celebrating thrifting culture and sustainability.

So, they created Heinz Vintage Drip, a thrifted collection of luxe and streetwear brands, all with Heinz Ketchup stains.

The collection was available exclusively on ThredUp, the world’s largest online
resale platform, featuring 157 unique items from brands like Gucci,
Yves Saint Laurent and Nike, all dripped in Heinz. All proceeds went to
Rise Against Hunger to support global hunger relief.

The launch video ran across social and was featured in a native shoppable unit. Pieces from the collection were worn by streetwear icons like Antoni Bumba, Nazjaa, Sym Clarke, Izzi Poopi and Mirian Njoh at NYFW. And all content led people to the ThreadUp landing page where they could shop the collection.

The campaign was an immense success, garnering over 1.75 billion earned impressions - more than 400% above benchmarks, and the influencer campaign ER was 583% above benchmarks. They performed 62% higher than ER benchmarks on FB and IG. The shoppable native ad delivered 10M impressions, an ER 100% above benchmarks, and a CTR 20% above benchmarks. The campaign drove over 135k visits to the ThreadUp landing page.

Heinz Vintage Drip also scored a full segment on the Drew Barrymore Show, earned praise from the singer SZA, and was featured on publications like Delish, and the Daily Mail. Tide and Burger King even jumped in and exchanged some friendly
social media banter about the campaign.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman, Mike Dubrick
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Creative Director: Zachary Bautista
Associate Creative Director : Geoff Baillie
Writer : Geoff Baillie, Aman Soin, Brendan Scullion
Sr. Art Director: Matt Dunn
Art Director: Zachary Bautista, Ashley Park, Max Bingham, Mathew Dunn
Strategist: Julian Morgan
Producer: Alex Butt
Post Supervisor: Megan O’Connon, Shannon Ing
Print Producer: Agnes Gilchrist, AJ Merrick
Studio: Brad Kumar
Group Account Director: Jamie Sutherland
Account Director: Kai de Bruyn Kops, David Greisman
Account Supervisor: Emily Anzarouth
Account Manager: Rachel Cloth
Director / Photographer: Nikki Ormerod
Cinematographer: Nina Djacic
Production Co.: Undivided Creative
EP/Line Producer: Scott Houghton
Additional Photography: Nick Greaves
Editor: Tyler Erdelac
Online / VFX / Motion Graphics: Gimmick Studios
Colorist: Ismaël Ouattara, Post-Moderne
Original Music / Mix: OSO Audio
PR: Middle Child, Zeno Group
Media: Carat, Publicis 57
Printing House: TI Group
Client: Megan Lang