Turning an icon on its head - ketchup bottle redesign - Brief Article

Chief Executive, The, July, 2003

A major earthquake is spreading throughout the world from an epicenter in Pittsburgh: The ketchup bottle has finally changed. It has been literally stood on its head.

Anybody who has ever opened a full bottle of ketchup knows that you have to bang the bottom or stick something into the top--or both--to make the red gooey stuff actually flow.

The folks at H.J. Heinz also knew that some customers were irritated by how difficult it was to get the final bit of ketchup out of the bottle. So they conducted some research. "We asked various demographics what they liked and didn't like," says spokesman Robin Teets. "Getting that last bit out was something they didn't like. They said: 'We store the nearly empty bottles in our refrigerators upside down. They fall out, but we do it anyway.'"

That's what prompted Heinz to turn plastic ketchup bottles upside down and call them "Easy Squeeze." Gravity works for the product, not against it. Easy Squeeze was first introduced last fall, but now seems to be gaining momentum. "We can't keep up with the demand," Heinz Chairman Bill Johnson says.

Who would ever have thought that the ketchup bottle could be a major source of innovation? And bravo for asking customers what they want. The only question we have for Heinz is: What took you so long?