“The greatest thing you have working for you is not the photo you take or the picture you paint, it’s the imagination of the consumer.” Somehow that line didn’t land Mad Men’s Don Draper the Heinz Ketchup account back in the fictional 1960s.
The ad was simple. Three images of tantalizing food appeared on a white background — a well-stacked cheeseburger, some naked crinkle cut fries, and a medium rare steak. The simple phrase “Pass the Heinz.” sat above the food to entice some unseen diner to slather all that good food in even better ketchup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwPjdVImK0g
Alas, it was a dud for fictional Heinz and a loss for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. But it isn’t a dud for 2010s Heinz. They’ve decided to turn Don Draper’s misperceived misfire into a real ad in 2017 America.
Heinz announced via a press release the method behind their mad(men)ness: “The ‘Pass the Heinz’ campaign, created by Don Draper, has been 50 years in the making, but it’s as timeless today as it was when it was first presented. Don (or Mr. Draper?) understood the one key thing every Heinz fan knows: Never settle for the foods you love without the great taste of Heinz.”
And there you have it. Life, once again, is imitating art.
The ads are exact copies by the way.
In case you’re still thinking this is some sort of gag being pulled by Big Ketchup, it’s real. The ads are already popping up in New York as this Instagrammer caught one in Time Square.
It would seem that it’s a lazy ploy on the ad agency‘s behalf to pitch this to Heinz — it is the exact same pitch from a TV show after all. But then again, our love of Mad Men means we’re all talking about it this morning. This article being exhibit number one. Damn it! The advertisers win again! Well, at least it’s still better than Peggy’s pitch.
(Via Ad Week)
