How do you make people talk about Heinz Curry when it already exists?
Heinz is so familiar. The brand everyone grew up with. But that familiarity is a double-edged sword. When people already believe Heinz has made every sauce under the sun, how do you make them care about one more? To shake up a sleepy category and reach younger flavor chasers, we couldn’t just rely on great taste. We needed an idea so unexpected that people would want to try Heinz Curry just to be part of the conversation.
People don’t remember facts, they remember feelings. Heinz feels so ever-present that we can literally make people doubt their memory…
Currylighting, a campaign that denies Heinz ever made curry. A launch that makes people question what they think they know. By “gaslighting” the internet with the charm only Heinz can pull off, we announced our ‘first ever’ curry sauce and denied every trace of it that already existed.
Before launch, we replace the labels on old Heinz Curry bottles with blank ones in select stores. Influencers noticed and share their confusion. Then, we officially launched Heinz Curry in two flavors bold, proud and “for the first time.” OOH and social showed the new bottles, hiding a label-less one in the background for those who looked twice. As soon as we announce our ‘first ever’ Heinz Curry, our fans start talking. They remember seeing Heinz Curry before and some even share photos as proof. But what do you do when the evidence looks undeniable? Simple. You fix it. We edit the photo, remove the label, and send it back with a smile: “You mean this photo? Sorry, this doesn’t look like Heinz. In fact, this isn’t Heinz.” Each reply includes a link to the landing page of our ‘first ever’ two Heinz Curry flavors. We direct all traffic to www.wenevermadecurry.nl. Here, fans can upload a photo of their “Heinz Curry” bottle to check if it’s real. If it is Heinz, the site automatically removes the label because, officially, it never existed. If it’s not Heinz, they can claim a cashback for our ‘first ever’ two Heinz curry flavors. A verification tool that turns every upload into proof that Heinz is — and always has been — the sauce worth remembering. A campaign that turns collective memory into conversation and launches Heinz Curry by getting everyone to question what they thought they knew. Because whether it was there before or not, it has to be Heinz
This project is a hypothetical work created as part of a Jonge Honden pitch. It is not commissioned by or affiliated with any real clients or brands.