2021 Winner

SilverBest in Mobile

SilverBest in Data-Driven Marketing

SilverBest Use of Real-Time Data

SilverBest Data Insight

Kraft Heinz
"Heinz Bottleneck"
Carat
For the first time in over a year, summer of 2021 would see roads packed with cars on their way to cottages and BBQ get-togethers. One way people attempt to get around summer traffic is by using navigation apps like Waze, which highlight traffic with a red line to indicate things are moving slowly.

Heinz Ketchup goes through rigorous tests to ensure the quality and taste is the exact same in every bottle. One of those tests ensures Heinz viscosity allows it to pour at the same speed every time, 0.045km/hour to be exact. Said another way, Heinz = Slow; Heinz is famous for being slow. So, they wanted to show consumers that this summer, going slow is a good thing.

They partnered with Waze to utilize their app’s built-in navigation and speed tracking system to target Canadians across the country that were stuck in traffic. Using real-time traffic data they were able to track the speed traffic was going. And if traffic went at the speed of ketchup, they rewarded them
with free ketchup.

They kicked off the campaign right before the July long weekend, when summer traffic is at its heaviest. They blasted their message across their social channels with a hero video explaining the campaign. It ran across all their platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube. The video itself earned media attention and had high shareability online.

They also created digital OOH boards that were strategically placed along the highest traffic highways in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Depending on the time of day when traffic was heaviest, their long copy billboards shared a message to drivers stuck in traffic that featured their offer and how to unlock it. When traffic was lighter, they simply shared a generic brand message.

They knew drivers stuck in traffic often listen to music and podcasts to pass the time, so they worked with Spotify to create radio ads and companion banner assets to further spread awareness of their message and offer. They also worked with a range of micro-influencers to seed the campaign launch.

When people were on busy highways all-summer, the Waze app would reward them for driving slow. The car on the App would actually change to a bottle of Heinz and a voucher for free ketchup and a Burger King Whopper would automatically be sent to their inbox (to avoid any driving distractions).

The app integrations and use of real-time data for this campaign to deliver on their insight was true innovation. By taking an existing product from Waze and modifying it to fit their insight, they were able to get their key brand message across using the functionality of a digital app. Innovation also came through in the media surrounding their Waze integration where they focused exclusively on consumers who their message would resonate with. All digital video they ran was targeted to users who had the Waze app installed and travelled regularly, while OOH and Spotify in-car advertising cover those who were already on the road.

This was truly a high-performing brand awareness and recognition play for Heinz. The save rates of the takeover ads were 34%, compared to industry benchmarks of 22%. Redemption of the free ketchup also exceeded Waze’s coupon redemption benchmarks and resulted in the highest performing CPG campaign Waze has ever run. The campaign achieved a whopping 147,730,225 PR impressions. Additionally, Spotify reached 606,932 impressions and attained an outstanding
97.4% audio completion rate.

Credits

Nina Patel, VP of Brand & Innovation at The Kraft Heinz Company
Daniel Gotlib, Associate Director, Brand Building & Innovation, The Kraft Heinz Company
Carlos Vidanes, Sr. Associate Brand Manager, The Kraft Heinz Company
Keeyan Arvandi, Sr. Associate Brand Manager, The Kraft Heinz Company

Jordan Baker, AVP, Group Account Director, Carat
Sunny Gill, Associate Director, Carat
Alex Faria, Senior Media Planner, Carat
Tetiana Chereshynska, Media Planning Assistant, Carat
Olena Buczok, Digital Director, Dentsu
Shaylyn Austin, Digital Strategist, Dentsu
Christine Sohn, Digital Investment Planner, Dentsu

James Nabozna, Agency Partner Lead, Waze
Salvatore Loris, Account Manager, Waze

PR Agency: The Colony Project
Creative Agency: Rethink Canada