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Heinz chooses Facebook to launch a limited edition ketchup in UK

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

March 10, 2011 | 3 min read

If an old guard firm like Heinz uses social media to launch a new variant of ketchup , things are really getting - as they say - all shook up.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup with Balsamic Vinegar is the company'sfirst limited-edition product- precisely 1,057,000 bottles in all. Heinz sent out 57 free bottles to food bloggers and VIPs and for use in a sampling breakfast. Rest of the bottles will be available in supermarkets starting March 23.

Neil Kleiner, head of social media at Havas' Media Contacts, commented, "This is a great PR stunt. It's unexpected for Heinz -- which is not the first brand you think of in terms of social media -- so it has created a lot of buzz. People go to Facebook to engage with friends; they are only interested in brands if there's something in it for them, like discounting, vouchers or exclusives."

Heinz Tomato Ketchup already had 45,000 U.K. Facebook fans thanks to a site set up by agency We Are Social in September. The number has risen to 54,000 since the page started selling the new ketchup at $2.40 a bottle, with free shipping. Facebook users can buy the bottles via credit card using an embedded payment system.

However, says Ad Age, the brand's Facebook page is clogged up with people who have had difficulty ordering the product, and on day three of the promotion there are still a few bottles left.

Heinz sells more than 76 million bottles of ketchup each year in the U.K., and around 650 million bottles and 11 billion individual packets across six continents.

Social commerce is becoming increasingly popular, and a number of big brands including Dove, French Connection and Best Buy are all selling in the US through Facebook, said Ad Age. Online fashion retailer Asos recently set up a full shop on Facebook, making its entire inventory available through the social-networking site.

Mr. Kleiner said not all brands are not well-suited to social commerce. "I couldn't imagine buying something like toothpaste through Facebook," he said. "Brands like Best Buy and Asos are ideal for social commerce because electronics and fashion are very influencer-led, and people look to buy things that their friends have recommended."

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