How Heinz harnessed the power of Twitter and got 1 billion impressions in 48 hours

HEINZ (‎@HeinzKetchup_US) is a classic American brand and one of the most recognized names in ketchup. When the brand decided to expand into mayonnaise, it faced an interesting marketing challenge: how could it convince US consumers who love its famous ketchup to also adopt its mayonnaise?

The answer came in another HEINZ product. The brand's social listening showed that HEINZ MAYOCHUP (a blend of mayonnaise and ketchup) started trending in the UK even though it was only available in the Middle East. When a savvy traveler Tweeted a photo of the MAYOCHUP product from a Kuwaiti grocery store, it ignited a fierce debate about whether the MAYOCHUP (product/condiment/sauce) should be sold in other countries.

Seeing this, the HEINZ brand team leveraged the Twitter debate and got everyone talking about HEINZ Mayonnaise by using MAYOCHUP as a gateway. Instead of using a simple Tweet to drive conversation, HEINZ raised the stakes. The brand created a Twitter poll that asked if it should release HEINZ MAYOCHUP (product/condiment/sauce) in the US, asking for 500,000 yes votes to bring the product to market. The Tweet was accompanied by a simple visual that showcased that HEINZ Ketchup + New HEINZ Mayonnaise = HEINZ MAYOCHUP.

HEINZ chose Twitter as their partner to launch the MAYOCHUP  product conversation, collaborating with Starcom for media strategy and buying, VML for creative, and Olson for PR. They created a Twitter Poll that asked people to vote if they wanted the MAYOCHUP product to launch in the US. A Twitter Poll was the perfect medium for this activation, since it offers real-time voting and results.

As a product that combines the flavors of mayonnaise and ketchup, MAYOCHUP was an ideal vehicle for introducing HEINZ Mayonnaise and blending it with the cachet of HEINZ ketchup. Unexpectedly, people on Twitter began chiming in with alternative names for the product, offering HEINZ another opportunity to engage with its consumers by being a part of the conversation.

The poll for the MAYOCHUP product received almost 1 million total votes, with 55% voting “Yes” to MAYOCHUP, so the Heinz brand is planning to release the MAYOCHUP product in the US later this year. Heinz also surprised and delighted its Twitter audience by creating actual bottles with the alternative names people had suggested (Ketcho, Fry Sauce, Mayup!, etc.) and making them available for pre-order.

And HEINZ Mayonnaise? It saw a 28% lift in brand awareness. Clearly, its association with HEINZ Ketchup, made possible by an interactive Twitter campaign, was the secret sauce this campaign needed.