“Secret Ingredient” exploits online gaming to teach mums the benefits of cooking with Heinz Ketchup

My first project for Heinz is a digitally led campaign to get the nation cooking with Ketchup.

The problem? Heinz Tomato Ketchup is the nation’s best-loved sauce, but penetration is static.

The strategy? Get mums to use more Heinz Tomato Ketchup more often, by communicating the benefits of using the ‘only’ Ketchup as a cooking ingredient in classic homemade favourites. Because from Spaghetti Bolognese to Lasagna, Heinz Tomato Ketchup injects real tomato magic to classic homemade dishes.

The execution? An online video game that teaches mums the benefits of cooking with Ketchup, with fantastic prizes up for grabs. The competition challenges mums to discover the “secret ingredient” to classic homemade favourites.

The website at Heinz.co.uk/SecretIngredient, developed in partnership with creative production house unit9, hosts a number of interactive video recipes. The online game gives you the chance to cook-along with celebrity chef Paul Rankin, as he demonstrates how to cook the perfect recipes. Those who discover the “Secret Ingredient” are entered into a prize draw.

To create added talkability, the “Secret Ingredient” is teased within the media to entertain and intrigue mums. The campaign extends across a multitude of platforms, with Heinz.co.uk/SecretIngredient at the heart of the activity:

• A Facebook campaign at facebook.com/HeinzKetchupUK to engage fans with exclusive content and giveaways (this is Heinz’s first foray into Facebook).
• An exclusive blogger event with Paul Rankin and further blogger relations (via We are Social) to create buzz within social spaces.
• Heavyweight shopper marketing to disrupt shoppers in-store and online.
• A partnership with Bauer which spans Magic radio, Closer magazine, and Closer online.

But it doesn’t stop there. Heinz have gone so far as to change the name on the iconic bottle, to read “Your Secret Ingredient”.

One small step for digital, one giant leap of faith for Heinz.

Getafe football kit: Shockingly sponsored by Burger King

At first glance, Getafe’s new football kit is seemingly normal, even dull…

But Burger King’s sponsorship deal isn’t limited to just the front of the shirt…the Burger King himself makes an impressive appearance in this awesome bit of branding!

Via.

The Economist Thinking Space By AMV BBDO (yeah that means me!)

I’ve barely had a chance to breathe since putting our new website live  The Economist: Thinking Space, and yet it’s already gaining a lot of attention.

In Europe, The Economist targets people who we call the ‘Intellectually Curious’. They are young, university educated, interested in global events and issues. They want to understand, not just what is happening, but why. However in Europe, The Economist suffers from low brand awareness. And when they are aware of it, they tend to think it is narrowly focused on finance and economics.

The Economist Thinking Space asks people…where do you get your ideas? We invite you into the lives of some of our European Economist readers – it opens the door to their ‘thinking space’. Our diverse range of influential personalities share their thoughts, ideas, parts of their lives and the role The Economist plays in it. Users are also able to upload and tag images of their own spaces, to allow the site to become more inclusive and to grow, breaking away from the brand’s historical exclusivity.

What’s more, the interactive site is built in Papervision with stunning photography and is B-E-A-UTIFUL! Built by the good guys at Hi-ReS!. Explore it now, you won’t regret it…

In just a matter of days it’s already gaining a lot of attention and buzz on Twitter and blogs. It received 16,000 unique visits in the first two days from launch, so I’m very excited to watch it grow. We’re also working with the lovely people at We are Social to outreach to bloggers across Europe.

I hope you’ll agree that The Economist Thinking Space positions the brand as a stimulating interesting read. As always, thoughts and feedback are welcome (if not encouraged) here…

Google tricks

Google‘s up to it’s old tricks again, getting all dressed up today for Halloween. Spooky.

 

In the old buttoned-down world of corporate branding, this would seem like a no-no. I’m glad the days of ensuring the color, shape and placement of a logo never changes is seemingly more distant. I wish more brands would embrace this kind of flexibility and just loosen up a bit!

*Updated. Damn it, YouTube are at it too!