Heinz unveils ads with creepy, ketchup-y smiles for Halloween

Update 10/6: Some observers on social media have been calling out this campaign, saying it echoes minstrel show and blackface imagery. Our original story is below. Halloween is fast approaching, and brands are already out in force with their scare tactics. (We wrote about the disturbing new Six Flags film earlier this week, and we’ll be covering lots more Halloween stuff throughout the month—including on social.) Here’s a fun one from Heinz—a trio of ads with ketchup eaters looking exceedingly creepy as they devour their food, grinning ear to ear with ketchup (that looks like blood) covering their lips. The campaign, running in Europe, is the first work from the just-opened Gut New York office. “We know that when it comes to Heinz, our fans will go all in to get the ‘best-tasting’ ketchup, even if it leaves them red faced,” said Hannah Winterbourne, Heinz lead for Europe and Pacific developed markets. “With this as our inspiration, we’ve hacked a cultural moment, using our distinct Heinz personality and unique sense of humor to create something simple that speaks to the great taste of Heinz, and seeks to entertain our fans along the way. We can’t wait to see how fans react and hope to bring unexpected smiles to people’s faces this Halloween.” The line “It Ha Ha Has to be Heinz” is a fiendish homage to the brand’s brand platform, “It Has to Be Heinz,” which launched last year and has contributed to global Heinz growth of more 12%, the company said. It also brings “Joker” vibes as second movie in that franchise is just hitting theaters. “‘Heinz Smiles’ is all about amplifying people’s irrational love for Heinz within this moment in pop culture,” said Lucas Bongioanni, chief creative officer at Gut New York. “That messy experience of having ketchup smeared across your face was the perfect way to connect with global consumers and spark conversation.” Heinz has played off the blood-like qualities of its ketchup below, including BBH’s memorable fangs ad in 2019 and the vegetarian vampire campaign by Wieden+Kennedy. More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

Heinz unveils ads with creepy, ketchup-y smiles for Halloween

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