Heinz apologizes for launching pasta sauces 150 years late
As the purveyors of some of the UK’s most-loved tomato-based cupboard staples, Heinz is issuing an apology to the British people – and its founder Henry Heinz – for being extremely late to the party when it comes to pasta sauces.
Heinz ad for new pasta sauces
‘This is Ridiculous’ was devised by agency partner Wunderman Thompson Spain, which has taken out a full-page ad in The Guardian to launch the campaign.
Taking aim at competitors such as Dolmio and Llyod Grossman (and potentially annoying the entire country of Italy), Heinz claims that the range of sauces are totally worth the wait as they are ‘probably the best pasta sauce you’ve ever tasted’.
”The launch of the new Heinz Pasta Sauces is an important step in our strategy to expand the brand into new categories,” said Caio Fontenele, new ventures director at Kraft-Heinz. ”Despite our extensive agriculture heritage and tomato expertise, this is the first Heinz pasta sauce launched in the UK – a market where Heinz is annually ranked among the most loved food brands,
“It was natural to have launched a pasta sauce, but we didn’t. Yes, we are ridiculously late. The Wunderman Thompson collaboration and fresh eyes on our brand resulted in a powerful and simple campaign, that points up the iconicity of Heinz in a rejuvenated way without trying too hard. And the result is ridiculously good.”
Wunderman Thompson worked on the product range from the very beginning, from the packaging design to defining the entire launch strategy.
“Consumers love it when a brand like Heinz has the ability to laugh at itself,” added Paco Badia, executive creative director at Wunderman Thompson Spain. ”Before now, the brand had never released a range of pasta sauces in the UK, despite the fact that spaghetti Bolognese is one of the most popular dishes in the world and the third most-consumed dish in the UK.
“It was the perfect excuse for us to play up the brand’s tomato credentials with the launch, including how they produce their own tomato seeds, in the most Heinz-way possible, with a subtle and intelligent sense of humor.”
Amplification of the campaign will come from digital, social media, and out-of-home activations, including a billboard in Leicester Square showcasing the seven sauces in the range and copy that reads ’150 years late. 7 ways to apologize.’
