How This Iconic HEINZ-'Deadpool & Wolverine’ Collaboration Came to Life
While Marvel Studios’ 'Deadpool & Wolverine' has released to immense box office success, there’s still a lot of chatter - both within adland and outside of it - about a marketing stunt that tied directly to its pre-release promotional approach.
Specifically, ever since it was revealed that Wolverine’s iconic yellow X-Men suit, which fans never got to enjoy while the character was licensed by 20th Century Fox, would be in the film, fans couldn’t help but notice that when paired alongside Deadpool’s red suit, the two look an awful lot like a certain pair of popular condiments… which Kraft Heinz, creative agency Rethink, and even Marvel itself were also quick to recognise. As such, in order to capitalise on the summer hype, all three teamed up to launch a multi-front campaign featuring OOH, a self-deprecating promo spot, voiced by Ryan Reynolds himself, and limited-time character-based collectables for bottles of HEINZ’s ketchup and mustard.
So, to learn more about just what it took to turn something like this around, and what collaborating on that many fronts looks like, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down for a chat with the team from Rethink, including head of strategy Julian Morgan, group account director Kai de Bruyn Kops, partner and creative director Zachary Bautista, and creative director Geoff Baillie, as well as The Kraft Heinz Company’s brand communications manager for HEINZ US, Lizzy Goodman.
LBB> A campaign like this requires great insight. So, how did this idea come to pass?
Lizzy> As trailers and preview content for Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ were released this year, fans, and even the stars of the movie, continuously took to social media comparing Deadpool and Wolverine’s red and yellow suits to our iconic ketchup and mustard bottles, so we knew we needed to get in on the fun.
And, our campaign’s title really reigns true. Once we made that connection, we couldn’t ‘unsee it’. Even beyond the suits’ colours, the characters and condiments have a lot in common: one’s sweet, one’s zesty and while everybody has a favourite, they’re better together – from box offices to summer barbecues.
Julian> At Rethink, we’re always looking for ways to bring brands closer to culture. Because we knew that condiments are already top of mind during this season, instead of talking about BBQ’s and backyards, we wanted to tap into a conversation that would create renewed relevance in an unfamiliar way.
Luckily for us, Marvel Studios was gearing up to launch the movie of the summer. And, aside from the costume colours, it was serendipitous that Ryan Renyolds and Hugh Jackman’s codenames on set were ketchup and mustard, as well. The comparison was so simple yet perfect that it became the jumping off point for the entire campaign.
LBB> From here, what was the process like of getting everyone on board? And how long did it take to secure permissions for such an unexpected crossover?
Lizzy> Because the widespread social conversations comparing Deadpool and Wolverine’s red and yellow suits to HEINZ Ketchup and Mustard bottles were also on the Marvel team’s radars, both sides agreed it was an authentic opportunity rooted in culture, creating a true collaboration.
Kai> From here, we all held hands and jumped right in. Many key players were involved, from Marvel Studios and Disney, to Ryan Reynolds and ‘maximum effort’, to HEINZ and Rethink. Everyone worked collaboratively to ensure the work was approved in record time.
LBB> After the initial brief, what was the development process like? And how did the required speed of the turnaround factor into the creative process?
Lizzy> Unsurprisingly, summer is one of the most popular times of year for ketchup and mustard consumption, creating a prime window for us to go big and really stand out among competitors. We always strive to uncover moments at the intersection of culture and our fans’ authentic, irrational love for HEINZ, so after a few initial rounds of planning with Rethink, it was clear that the summer’s biggest blockbuster was a ripe path forward.
Beyond the comparisons between our condiments and Deadpool and Wolverine, this opportunity felt like a natural fit to bring together the devotion fans have for Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, and their irrational love for HEINZ’s ketchup and mustard. So, we moved swiftly every step of the way, seeking to bring each element to life in a unique way authentic to the HEINZ brand and our fans.
LBB> Specifically, tell us more about the bottle outfits based on the Marvel characters. What was this development process like?
Lizzy> As we looked to give our fans another way to get in on the fun and extend the trending conversations, the idea of condiment collectibles gave us a first-ever execution that was authentic to the Marvel and HEINZ fanbases. As the heroes of barbecue season, we wanted to give ketchup and mustard the superhero armour to match their silver screen counterparts.
To create these collectibles, we worked closely with the Marvel and Disney teams to actually co-design ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’-inspired accessories for the bottles, ensuring they brought to life signature components of the superheroes like their masks, suits, and most importantly, katanas and claws. Just wait until you see them!
LBB> The spot is also super funny, appearing like a movie ad before turning into a condiment ad. How did this come to life, and what was it like working with Ryan Reynolds to get the voiceover?
Geoff> We love a good misdirect and wanted this collaboration to be different than any others, so using the style and language of a superhero movie trailer allowed us to do just that. For the first 10 or 15 seconds, our spot feels just like a new ad for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ – the kind of thing that Marvel fans go crazy for. Setting up the spot this way, before a rug pull moment revealed that it was actually a HEINZ ad, gave us permission to have fun with Deadpool’s iconic fourth-wall breaking sense of humour.
I didn’t have ‘writing a script for Ryan Reynolds’ on my bingo card this year. It was really fun to lean into – not only his humour and charisma, but Deadpool’s too. His sense of humour is a great match for the HEINZ tone, so it was a natural fit.
Lizzy> Truly, Ryan Reynolds’ tone and humour aligned perfectly with our vision for this spot. We’ve worked with Ryan across multiple Kraft Heinz brands in the past, and we could not have asked for a better collaboration to bring it to life! His voice-over really took the spot to the next level!
LBB> As a whole, how does working on a clever, reactionary campaign like this compare to the traditional creative process?
Geoff> It’s really fun that this campaign seems reactionary, when it was very much proactive. At Rethink, we take a ‘Go Then Grow’ approach to many of our campaigns, and ‘Can’t Unsee It’ is a great example of that.
The original ask was for OOH and long form video, but once the idea came to life, we saw value in 15-second and 6-second cutdowns, a retail element, a consumer element through the limited-time only ketchup and mustard bottles, and even a red carpet presence at the movie premiere in New York City. Fans of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ were showing up to the premiere dressed as HEINZ ketchup and mustard. So we were on the scene to capture those looks and share them on social.
Finally, staying true to the wider promotion of the movie worked in our favour. The movie trailer had to come out first to make a splash, and then we could just lean into that momentum to then launch our HEINZ ad. As they say, timing is everything.
Lizzy> Truthfully, the biggest difference was the speed and cadence of ideation, feedback and approvals. This campaign did not follow the linear model that our creative processes often do, requiring agility and flexibility every step of the way to ensure required legal and brand approvals while staying on track with deadlines.
However, as a brand rooted in moving at the speed of culture, we thrive on agile, quick-turn activations like this one. We ensured we had the right stakeholders in the room every step of the way, working together efficiently and effectively to ensure we hit all necessary approvals while adhering to the accelerated timeline.
LBB> Overall, what challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Zachary> Some challenges that we faced included timing, ensuring that our work stood out as unique, and, as you can guess, appeasing the layers and layers of key stakeholders in the approval process. We overcame them as a team – with communication, patience, resilience, and a single shared aim of making a hilarious and engaging piece of content.
Lizzy> While we are no strangers to moving at the speed of culture, the campaign’s quick-turn nature, especially in regard to creative development and approvals, was certainly the most challenging part. Overcommunication was key from start to finish, ensuring the correct parties were engaged every step of the way.
LBB> What lessons did you learn in the making of this campaign?
Zachary> We learned all about the movie making machine that is Hollywood! There are so many people involved behind the scenes, and even more so with collaborations like this. So, the big takeaway is to ‘keep going’. Each collaborator brought a different perspective that allowed us to continue to grow and improve the campaign.
LBB> As a whole, how have people reacted to this campaign?
Geoff> People have been loving the campaign! We’re seeing really positive engagement with the spot and specifically, parts of the script. Audiences are totally agreeing that ‘once you see it, you can’t unsee it’. It’s great to see that the spot and OOH work is resonating with both HEINZ fans and Marvel fans.
Lizzy> It’s been a whirlwind of positive reactions! Fans are loving the clever nature of the spot and clamouring to get their hands on our collectible bottle accessories.
LBB> Finally, can we expect to see more unexpected collaborations from HEINZ in the future?
Zachary> We can’t make any promises, but you can bet that HEINZ and Rethink will continue to push the envelope with all their creative campaigns, while always considering unexpected ideas.
Lizzy> We are certainly keeping our eyes peeled for the next relevant opportunity!
