Dive Brief:

• Kraft Heinz launched a new campaign centered around restaurants filling Heinz ketchup bottles with product from other ketchup brands, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
• “Ketchup Fraud” was inspired by a Snapchat post of a restaurant worker refilling a Heinz bottle with a generic brand. As part of the effort, Heinz is encouraging consumers to tag restaurants caught doing the same on the brand’s Instagram page, with the most tagged restaurant said to hear from Heinz. 
• The campaign, developed by Rethink, will see out-of-home activations in New York and Chicago along with social media, newspaper and magazine advertising. 

Dive Insight:

Heinz is going after counterfeits in its latest campaign in order to play into its long-standing brand identity, “It Has To Be Heinz.” As one of America’s most popular ketchup brands, it can be found in many eateries across the country. However, a social media trend reveals that many restaurants reuse bottles, filling them back up with generic ketchup. 

The practice of filling Heinz bottles with a generic product isn’t new, with chicken chain Nando’s finding itself in hot water after a social media post accused the brand of using fake Heinz in 2016, eventually leading a brand spokesperson to clarify they only use Heinz. For the “Ketchup Fraud,” campaign, however, Heinz is willing to work with those who are accused of doing the same, offering a solution designed around helping consumers get the ketchup they want while also supporting local businesses, per release details. The brand’s latest move could more strongly tie back to its “It Has To Be Heinz” ethos.

“It’s a real behavior that we noticed all over the world and wanted to bring to light. It shows just how much weight the Heinz brand carries and how much even just the bottle speaks to quality,” said Mike Dubrick, chief creative officer and partner for Rethink in a press statement.

Along with encouraging consumers to tag restaurants on the Heinz Instagram page, the brand will also run promoted polls on the platform meant to encourage engagement. Others who had a hand in the campaign include Starcom’s Publicis 57, which is handling U.S. media, and Zeno, which is handling public relations. 

The campaign isn’t the first of its nature from Heinz. The brand undertook a similar activation in November with the campaign “Tip For Heinz.” As part of the effort, consumers who dined at a restaurant not offering Heinz ketchup were encouraged to leave an extra $1 “Tip for Heinz,” on their receipt, with those who shared it on social media having the chance to win a gratuity reimbursement. Heinz also offered a free year-long supply of ketchup to the first 10 restaurants that switched to the brand.