Heinz Crowns New Get-up For Ketchup

Brandweek, June 19, 2000 by Sonia Reyes

Heinz Ketchup, looking to boost its category dominance by improving consumers' ketchup-pouring experience, is introducing a "Trap Cap" backed by $20 million in national TV, promo and Internet support.

The campaign, via Leo Burnett, Chicago, includes two 30-second spots airing through November and builds on last October's campaign, tagged "Keep your buns dry and happy," that kicked off an effort to forge an emotional bond with a new target: teens, an effort that execs say has spiked sales by 6%. The trap cap solves what research showed to be a major consumer frustration: the watery plasma that accumulates in most ketchup bottles, often squirting user and food alike.

"The watery stuff was a major consumer dissatisfier," said Barry Shepard, general manager/marketing for Heinz, Pittsburgh. "Thick, rich ketchup is a strong part of our equity. The cap enables people to taste real ketchup, not a watery version." It uses an internal extension tube to direct the ketchup away from the liquid that forms inside squeeze bottles, so that only unadulterated ketchup pours onto food. The caps, the first change since Heinz introduced the recyclable plastic squeeze bottle in 1989, will replace existing caps on grocers' shelves.

Creative, to air on cable and syndication that includes MTV, the Discovery Channel, Friends and Comedy Central, will focus on the end benefit of the cap in the irreverent manner meant to resonate with teens, in keeping with the brand's new identity FSIs, POP and onpack banners are part of the mix. A Web site launching next month, www.drybuns.com, will use comedy to educate teens on the intricacies of how and why water accumulates in ketchup bottles.