Heinz Fans Help Reduce Food Waste Since 1869

Heinz launched their campaign 'Helping reduce food waste since 1869' - a humble activation created to demonstrate how the true Heinz Tomato Ketchup fans have been showing their love for this product for years, thus preventing edible food from unnecessarily going into the trash. In the AI visuals of the campaign, we are taken through three different time periods in which food is consumed that would have otherwise been thrown away. The Out of Home campaign was developed by strategic creative agency Fitzroy and can be seen on advertising screens opposite Amsterdam Central Station as well as at Amsterdam's Dam Square around Stop Food Waste Day.

Heinz: Helping reduce food waste since 1869

Heinz rolled out its first unified global brand platform, 'It Has To Be Heinz,' in June 2023. With this platform, the brand celebrates the 'irrational love' of its fans. Creating insight-based campaigns and authentic brand experiences is central to this.

The favourite flavour enhancer for 150 years.

This irrational love that fans have for the Heinz brand is certainly something we see in the Netherlands as well. For example, we know that Heinz Tomato Ketchup is used to take the taste of your food to the next level. Adding a little ketchup makes the taste of your dish, or leftovers from the day before, even tastier! So tasty that kids will eat even their least favourite vegetables. That's why today, on Stop Food Waste Day, Heinz is showing how its fans have been using their beloved Heinz Tomato Ketchup for the past 150 years, throwing less food away in their own way.

Mirthe Enklaar, brand manager Heinz: "It's nice to know that our fans use Heinz Tomato Ketchup to season leftovers as well. In this way they themselves - sometimes unconsciously - ensure that less food ends up in the trash unnecessarily. Making this visual through AI paints a nice picture of different situations over the years."

Back in time with three AI visuals

In the campaign's three AI visuals created by Arthur Mebius, one of the most renowned advertising photographers in the Netherlands, three scenarios through the years (since 1869) are shown in which we see the irrational love for Heinz Tomato Ketchup in the foreground. In addition, it is immediately apparent that by adding their favourite ketchup, food is consumed that would otherwise be (partially) thrown away.

Each poster represents a different era and is based on real consumer behaviour. The first ad depicts a child eating the Brussels sprouts in the 1920s, thanks to some Heinz Tomato Ketchup. Perfect, as otherwise, they would have gone to waste. The second ad features a woman enjoying some leftovers in the 1970s, and in the third image, you see a student scraping a pan with leftovers clean before washing the dishes in 2024. With a nice dollop of Heinz Tomato Ketchup on top, it tastes just as delicious as the day before.

"If you're asked to create three amazing pieces that cross time, but you don't actually have the time or the high-quality materials, this is the perfect solution. Using AI and image editing brought us to the level we were all looking for." said Arthur Mebius, photographer.

The campaign was developed by Fitzroy, a strategic creative agency based in Amsterdam.

"We wanted to show the love and attention that fans have for Heinz through three creative expressions. We based the campaign on a consumer behaviour that many people can relate to. It has to be Heinz, especially when you want to be a little more conscious about food waste." said Mischa Schreuder, creative partner at Fitzroy.