THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Special Project

Special Project
From the 17th Annual Shorty Awards

Emotional Support Ketchup Bottle

Finalist in Launch Campaign, Food & Beverage

Objectives

In 2024, Heinz faced a double threat: rising inflation and the surging popularity of private label ketchups. As such, Gen-Z were turning away from the iconic brand. To reclaim their hearts and wallets, we needed a bold move to reignite brand love for Heinz.

 

Strategy and Execution

After extensive social listening across X, TikTok, and Instagram, we revealed a key Heinz fan behavior. 

Insight: Heinz fans carried their ketchup everywhere, in the same way Gen-Z carried the trending Emotional Support Water Bottles at all times. This wasn't just about practicality; it was a genuine expression of brand love – a craving for the comfort and familiarity that only Heinz can provide.

Strategy: Celebrate Gen-Z’s passionate devotion to Heinz by creating the first-ever Emotional Support Ketchup Bottle.

To celebrate our fans, we launched the limited edition Emotional Support Ketchup Bottles (ESKB) – a tongue-in-cheek tribute to fan devotion. Thoughtfully designed with personalized illustrated stickers, a carabiner, a convenient strap, and a custom-made silicone cap, the ESKB playfully tapped into the emotional support trend while offering an easy to use, functional accessory. 

Released two weeks before Valentine’s Day – a time synonymous with emotional highs and lows – the ESKB became an instant hit.

Execution:

  1. Craft: The ESKB wasn't just a bottle; it was a collectible. The iconic Heinz bottle was enhanced with a custom silicone cap, a carabiner, an adjustable strap, and a sheet of illustrated stickers by [Illustrator/Studio]. These stickers allowed for personalization, fueling social sharing and creating a sense of individual connection with the brand.
  2. Placement/Distribution: The limited-edition ESKBs were exclusively available through Amazon, creating anticipation. This exclusivity, combined with the limited quantity of 2,000 bottles, ignited a buying frenzy. The bottle’s launch a week ahead of Valentine's Day was perfectly timed to capitalize on the holiday's emotional rollercoaster and resonate with Gen-Z and their dating app woes. With post copy playing to the holiday such as "POV: Heinz would never stand you up" directly addressed a common frustration and cementing the campaign's relatability.
  3. Influencers & Paid Social: A strategic partnership with 14 influential foodies on TikTok and Instagram amplified the campaign's reach and credibility. These influencers didn't just showcase the bottle; they integrated it into their content in creative witty ways, demonstrating its functionality and its "emotional support" potential. Four paid social assets, shot in a distinctive style, further fueled the buzz, reinforcing the campaign's humor and highlighting the ESKB's charm.
  4. Tone/Voice: The execution captured Heinz's playful brand personality. The tongue-in-cheek approach to the "emotional support" trend landed perfectly with Gen-Z's sense of humor. The design was bright, fun, and shareable. The tone was lighthearted, authentic, and celebratory, honoring Heinz fandom in a way that felt genuine and relatable.

Results

The ESKB launch was a triumph. All 2,000 bottles sold out in under a week—a record for Heinz. The campaign generated 271 media placements, reaching 72 million earned impressions. Organic content creator views reached 2 million, exceeding benchmarks by 508%, proving the power of the influencer partnerships and the shareability of the ESKB concept. The campaign achieved 100% positive sentiment, demonstrating its resonance with the target audience. ESKBs continue to command attention on resale platforms like eBay, selling as high as 12.5X their original retail value, a testament to the campaign's enduring impact and the coveted status of this limited-edition item.

By turning fan behavior into a celebrated cultural moment, we proved that when it comes to emotional support, it has to be Heinz.

 

Media

Video for Emotional Support Ketchup Bottle

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Wieden+Kennedy, Heinz

Link

Entry Credits