BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN: How Heinz’s Biggest Social and Earned Campaign Was Built in Eight Weeks
Giving Heinz its biggest social and earned campaign ever, globally, within the first eight weeks of working together, and without even responding to a formal brief, sounds like creative fantasy.
But that’s exactly what happened when we created and executed the award-winning Fridge vs Cupboard campaign.
So, how did it happen?
The Reality Behind the Speed
Let’s be honest: getting creative out the door is rarely simple. Layers of approvals and internal processes can slow even the strongest ideas down.
Doing something fast, at scale, with a brand you’ve only just started working with almost never happens.
But speed was the goal.
From the outset, we made a conscious decision to move with conviction. That meant putting all our creative “apples in one basket” and backing an idea we were confident could land as both a social and earned media moment.
Navigating Complexity
To move quickly, we had to operate as active disruptors.
That role can sound appealing on paper, but in practice it’s difficult to balance. Without the right tone, it can fail in its intent. It’s equal parts confidence, hard headiness and empathy.
We knew repetition was key. We presented the same idea multiple times. We knew it would work, so it came down to a team we had never worked with before having confidence in us to execute. We couldn’t show a chink in the armour.
The Idea
The concept was straightforward…
Heinz announces that ketchup should be stored in the fridge, not the cupboard (or pantry). Something which is already printed on the back of its bottles.
The goal was to turn it into a social-first moment that sparks debate and and conversation, making Heinz ketchup the most talked-about product online.
But the idea alone wasn’t enough.
A good idea in the wrong hands, can go unnoticed. The success of the campaign came down to how it was distributed and really thinking about how it connects was the key to success.
The Execution
Without giving away the full mechanics (the WXY Studios magic), the approach was deliberately engineered around earned-first social thinking, supported by viral partnerships with high-impact, high-reach social channels and a well thought out agile PR approach.
Crucially, we avoided the traditional “tease and build-up” model that brands often default to on social. Instead, we focused on immediacy to create a moment that felt native to the platforms it lived on.
This was supported by Heinz’s own “speed of culture” mindset, which allowed the idea to move quickly from approval to activation without losing creative momentum.
The result was a campaign designed not just to be seen but to be discussed and argued over.
The Impact
In short, Fridge vs Cupboard became:
Heinz’s biggest earned consumer story ever globally
Heinz’s biggest single tweet
Responsible for 4.4 billion media impressions worldwide
A leading consumer story in the US
Heinz’s most extensive PR coverage for a single creative idea in the UK
It became a defining campaign that successfully merged social-first thinking with an earned media approach and positioned the UK team at the centre of Heinz’s global marketing attention, for all the right reasons.
It also went on to win multiple awards, including the Chairman’s Award and Grand Prix at The Drum.
What Came Next
In just five months, we produced some of Heinz’s most successful social campaigns, including:
Beanz Etiquette
The first UK branded mission on TikTok
Launching Tomato Ketchup Pasta Sauce with LADbible
Ketchup Gravy Boat (bringing ketchup to the Christmas table in a new way)
Heinz Hun Hamper
Social-first creative for Black Garlic Mayo
Across all of this, we ensured we experimented, learned and pushed Heinz into the centre of social culture. Something which was was recognised industry wide too (Heinz was awarded brand of the year).
Because ultimately, the goal wasn’t just attention.
It was reminding consumers of one simple truth:
It has to be Heinz.