“This is Ridiculous”: New Heinz Pasta Sauces, a case for winning in an adjacent category

Seeing opportunities to move into categories where fewer new branded products were being launched, Heinz entered the pasta sauces segment. Advertising humorously drew attention to how ‘late’ Heinz was in launching its first tomato pasta sauce. Ketchup and Absolut Vodka variants were sold to gain attention and, as part of the ‘NanTok’ trend, Italian grandmothers were asked to review Heinz sauces. By year three, 10% market share was achieved and evidence that communications contributed to this growth includes increases in awareness, trust, and quality metrics. Overall, it is estimated that each £1 invested in communications returned £1 of profit.