Dive Brief:
- Heinz launched a global campaign, "The Wait," that celebrates consumers who are willing to wait to eat rather than going without its ketchup, according to details shared with Marketing Dive. The effort will run in the U.S., Canada, UK, Chile, France, Brazil and the UAE.
- Created in partnership with Chilean creative agency 1984, the campaign features spots that show diners waiting to dig into their meals until being served the brand's iconic condiment. The effort includes film, print, digital and contextual out-of-home elements.
- The latest iteration of Heinz's "It Has to be Heinz” platform, "The Wait" is inspired by a global Toluna survey of 2,706 consumers that found more than two-thirds of diners would rather wait to eat than go without ketchup, with 55% willing to wait even longer for Heinz.
Dive Insight:
With "The Wait," Heinz unveils its largest global marketing campaign since unifying its global creative strategy under one platform. The effort keys into the platform's theme of consumers' "irrational love" for its products by focusing on those that will wait long times — especially the nearly 20% of Heinz lovers that will wait up to ten minutes for their condiments before beginning a meal.
“Nothing says ‘true love waits’ like a hungry diner willing to hold off eating until their ketchup arrives. It’s this simple, yet very real insight that inspired our latest campaign ‘The Wait’," explained George Buneder, CMO for Hispanic markets at The Kraft Heinz Company, in a statement.
"By observing real behaviours and turning insights into entertainment, we’re able to celebrate the wonderful, sometimes irrational love our fans have for Heinz. Ironically, the absence of a Heinz Tomato Ketchup Bottle is what makes the ad stand out, making Heinz the absent hero of our own story," the executive added.
The campaign and production were developed by Chilean agency 1984, with Carat on paid media and Zeno Group on North American PR. The creative portrays waiting as an "act of love" by generally impatient consumers, according to Felipe Manalich, founder and chief creative officer at 1984.
The titular wait that condiment-less diners face is depicted in 15-second spots. The media strategy also relies on a contextual out-of-home approach that uses digital placements in places consumers are already waiting, like on screens in office lobbies, elevators and on street furniture, in select markets.
Heinz rolled out its first unified global brand platform, "It Has To Be Heinz," in June 2023. In the months since, campaigns have enlisted past viral stars to market limited-time sauces and taken a stance against overly spicy foods. Notably, Heinz released a limited-edition sauce, “Ketchup and Seemingly Ranch,” that was inspired by a viral tweet about Taylor Swift’s choice of condiments at a Kansas City Chiefs football game.
