Rashida
“Nothing else tastes like Heinz.”
That’s the slogan of the world-leading ketchup company, Heinz. In fact, they boast an impressive 70% of market share in the U.S.
Recently, the ketchup brand celebrated its 150th anniversary, which means they’ve been able to do something few achieve: relevancy for over a century.
Is Heinz ketchup just simply the best, or are they masters of marketing?
While taste is a matter of personal opinion, Heinz’s marketing genius is not. Here are some of the strategies they’ve used to get so many people interested in and loyal to their brand.
Brand Personality
Heinz’s brand persona is all about having fun and living life. Their social media posts, commercials, and collaborations play on living life to the fullest and lightening up the world. They implement humor and show how we can experience life. The upbeat personality of Heinz makes it an easy one to fall in love with. Just think about when we use ketchup. So many times, we use it with casual meals that we enjoy with friends and family. Heinz expertly connects when and why people use ketchup with the persona they emit.
A Brand for Everyone
For some brands, it makes sense to target a very narrow demographic. For ketchup companies, it does not. Ketchup is not reserved for those with a certain socioeconomic status or gender or age. Everyone uses ketchup, and Heinz made itself a brand for everyone. Just take a glance at Heinz’s ads. They show a wide variety of people of different ages, genders, professions, and more.
Nostalgia
Us 90s kids love to look back on the incredible past we’ve left behind. Nostalgia is a powerful marketing concept that works incredibly well for all consumers, but especially for the younger generations. Heinz, and the other brands in its parent company, Kraft Heinz, have been around for generations. The danger is that these brands could become stagnant and fade into irrelevancy, but not if they play their cards right.
Having such a longstanding brand history is incredibly valuable. According to CEO Miguel Patricio, “they have a nostalgia for this product, which is a powerful advantage for our company.” By staying dynamic and playing off of consumers’ nostalgia, Heinz continues to sell its ketchup.
A Culture of Creativity
Heinz has stood the test of time because of its quality and its ability to convey quality via marketing. It’s built up a huge following of not only loyal customers but also of die-hard fans that scramble to purchase Heinz merchandise. They’ve gotten to the point few brands ever achieve, but we all know it’s much harder to stay on top than it is to get there. So what’s their plan?
Foster a culture of creativity. Patricio explains how they must build a culture of creativity, encouraging employees to take meaningful risks. He states, “for it to remain an important part of consumers’ lives, it has to evolve with every generation, with innovation that is effective and incremental.” This culture of creativity is vital for keeping Heinz ahead of its time and relevant to consumers. For example, many people now are seeking out organic options, and you can bet that Heinz offers organic ketchup.
Heinz has been so successful for so many years because they demonstrate the quality and taste of their products to their consumers. They use creative approaches to show that their product is the best fit for busy lives. They will continue to invest in their brand, drive innovation, and explore new retail categories. Heinz is a marketing success story we can all learn from no matter what industry we’re in.
