Dive Brief:

• Kraft Heinz Canada this week launched a campaign asking people to submit drawings of ketchup for a chance to see their artwork on a custom bottle label. The campaign was inspired by a global experiment in which dozens of anonymous people were assigned to "draw ketchup." Most of them drew the Heinz bottle from memory, per an announcement.
• Kraft Heinz Canada posted a short video showing the experiment on social media sites including Instagram and Twitter, along with the #drawketchup hashtag and link to a microsite where amateur artists can submit their own drawings of ketchup through Jan. 31. The 250 winning artists will receive a custom box and bottle with their drawing on the label.
• The labels from this experiment will be featured on a limited-edition group of Heinz bottles and on digital billboards. The campaign includes additional billboard signage with the wording, "We asked people to draw ketchup. They drew Heinz," to announce the online contest.

Dive Insight:

Kraft Heinz Canada aims to engage consumers with its online contest for a chance to win a customized bottle showing their renderings of ketchup. Its experiment asking people to draw ketchup is an amusing stunt to feature in the multichannel campaign, and a chance to tout the power of its iconography worldwide.

Asking people to submit their contact information can help to gather more first-party data, which has become a bigger priority for brands concerned about losing access to audience tracking methods like third-party cookies and device identifiers. However, entrants aren't required to share their artwork on social media for a chance to win, so the campaign has less chance of going viral, as seen in hashtag challenges on apps like TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.

Consumer engagement and customized packaging have become bigger themes for Kraft Heinz in its recent campaigns. Among the more recent examples, its Heinz Ketchup brand asked users of social video app TikTok to share videos of their Halloween preparations for a chance to win a bottle of its limited-release Heinz Tomato Blood Ketchup. Videos using the #HeinzHalloween hashtag have generated 4.8 billion views as of Jan. 22, a sign that the campaign was widely shared on the platform.

The campaign comes as Kraft Heinz Canada has seen a decline in sales, contrasting with the growth of parent company Kraft Heinz in the U.S. and international markets. Its Canadian unit experienced a 2.2% yearly dip in revenue to $406 million in its September quarter. U.S. sales gained 7.4% to $4.71 billion, while international sales climbed inched up 3.9% to $1.33 billion, according to its quarterly report. The company attributed the gains to a shift in consumer habits as people prepared more meals at home during the pandemic.

Kraft Heinz Canada's campaign may help to rebuild some momentum for the brand as the new year gets under way. Parent company Kraft Heinz last year had planned to ramp up its marketing spending after suspending or delaying campaigns during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March.