The Challenge

Heinz Salad Cream has a consumer challenge: its name indicates it’s just for salad. Heinz wants to change that perception.

The marketing brief was to drive brand awareness, increase volume as well as encourage use of the condiment for more than just salads.

At the same time its sister product Heinz Tomato Ketchup needed to position itself as the definitive ketchup and to introduce consumers to the new Top Down packaging.

The TV Solution

In May 2003 Heinz teamed up with Emmerdale, a six-times a  week soap with a 32-year history and an average 9.2m viewers an episode. The mass-market nature of the two brands fitted well with the audience profile for Emmerdale, which has a 45% share and is watched by 37% of the population each week.

Airing on both ITV 1 and ITV 2, Emmerdale would provide both brands with a regular vehicle to get into homes across the country and promote their messages. The activity would have the high impact and high frequency needed to change brand perceptions.

The salad cream brand sponsored the programme for six months from May – October 2003 and then once the deal was renewed in 2004 Heinz Salad Cream took the first six months and Tomato Ketchup took over for the second six months.

Thirty-seven different idents for Heinz Salad Cream were created linking the idea of soap opera gossip and the versatility of the brand as the perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of foods. This strategy was encapsulated with the tagline “It’s all going on”.

Twenty idents were created for Heinz Tomato Ketchup using the tagline 'You can’t eat without it' showing the new Top Down packaging and the iconic glass bottle.

The sponsorship was backed up by PR and promotions with related 'money-can’t buy' prizes such as trips to the Emmerdale set.

The Results

Research shows that the sponsorship had a rapid impact. In 2003 36% of viewers could spontaneously recall the association with Heinz Salad Cream. It was the fifth most spontaneously recalled sponsorship on TV.

Spontaneous brand recall in response to the question: “which sauces and condiments can you name?” increased by 42% as a result of the sponsorship.

And attitudes to the condiment also changed. Viewers were also more likely to try Heinz Salad Cream with different types of food. Research showed this score increased by 37%.

Helped by a hot summer Heinz Salad Cream benefited from record sales. No results are currently available for the Tomato Ketchup period sponsorship.

“The timing of Emmerdale is perfect as it provides the ideal opportunity to communicate with our consumers as they sit down to eat their evening meal."

Clodagh Ward, Head of Sauces, Heinz UK and Ireland