Created by Wieden+Kennedy New York, the ad campaign marks the first time that the brand has created a unified global campaign in its 150-year history. Consisting of a series of films, it taps into the at times irrational love that people can have for Heinz.

The focus is mainly on ketchup, with the odd appearance of Heinz baked beans, as fans of the red stuff are shown sneaking it into high end restaurants or using it as a sushi dipping sauce, while filling their home with Heinz memorabilia.

One spot focuses on the precision that Heinz brings to its ketchup, by showing a Heinz ‘tomato master’ obsessively searching for the perfect red tomatoes. The five films are all linked by the tagline, ‘It has to be Heinz’.

The new campaign follows a run of quirky and memorable ads for Heinz ketchup by Rethink, which have all articulated Heinz’s unique position in the sector. These have included a campaign where both humans and AI were asked to ‘draw ketchup’ and produced the distinctive Heinz bottle.

W+K’s work keeps the tongue-in-cheek tone that the brand has built up over the years, though features a more mainstream feel, suited to a global campaign.

“As we looked to unify the brand under one global brand platform, we dove into the world of our consumers and found that they all shared one thing: the irrational lengths they go to for Heinz products,” says Diana Frost, chief growth officer, North American zone at the Kraft Heinz Company. “As a brand obsessed with our consumers, we created ‘It has to be Heinz’ as our love song back to them, our fans are our muses.”

Credits:
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy New York
CCO: Scott Dungate
Creative Directors: Christine Santora, Will Binder
Associate Creative Directors: Jessica Ghersi, Marc Duran
Copywriter: Mikayla Dumas
Art Director: Nikki Vandervelde
Production Company: Love Song
Director: Camille Summers-Valli
Editorial Company: Final Cut
Editors: Adriana Legay, Matt Carter
VFX: Blacksmith