To launch its first zero sugar, zero salt ketchup, Kraft Heinz took over Dubai in October with a blend of experiential activations, e-commerce innovation, and playful digital storytelling.
The campaign tapped into culture and community in an effort to match the brand’s signature cheeky tone. At the heart of the ‘Zero Hour’ campaign was a talking fridge that interacted with passersby by literally speaking to them, offering challenges that were rewarded with free Heinz Ketchup Zero bottles and gift cards.
Those competing were given a three-minute long countdown to complete the challenge. When the timer hit 00:00, the fridge’s door opened to handover the prize.
“Consumers today are increasingly looking for zero sugar and zero salt swaps without sacrificing taste or being forced into dull diet, and Heinz needed a playful way to prove this ‘zero compromise’,” said Passant El Ghannam, Head of Marketing at Kraft Heinz MEA.
The brand’s objective was to ‘own the zero’ in a fun and interactive way, engaging with audiences in a highly experiential challenge to try Heinz Zero, not just tell them about it.
“Our region’s audience is highly engaged and loves bold, shareable ideas – especially ones with a challenge,” said El Ghannam. “So, we leaned into that behaviour, gamified the brand experience, and tapped into consumers’ curiosity and eagerness to ‘beat the fridge’ before it hit zero.”
The Heinz Zero Fridge was placed across high-footfall locations in Dubai, with a real-life interactive feature that adapted its responses to different interactions, creating a playful back-and-forth that felt alive and unpredictable.
The activation ran across two consecutive weekends, moving to different areas of Dubai – Jumeirah Beach Residence, CityWalk, and Carrefour at Mall of the Emirates. The fridge distributed more than 700 bottles of Heinz Ketchup Zero and AED 33,000 in vouchers.
View this post on Instagram
“The goal was to drive awareness about Heinz Ketchup Zero by creating a fully immersive consumer journey, meeting people both in real-life spaces and in the online environments where they shop,” said El Ghannam.
Therefore, the ‘Zero Hour’ campaign extended to a midnight e-commerce race on Carrefour Now, and the distribution of free Heinz Zero Burgers to drive cultural buzz and engagement across multiple touchpoints.
“The physical activation built on-ground buzz, while the digital midnight e-commerce race on Carrefour Now proved Heinz Ketchup Zero’s relevance in instant, on-demand shopping behaviors,” said El Ghannam. “Combining both allowed Heinz to hit multiple consumer touchpoints, from street-level excitement to e-commerce conversion.”
The campaign also extended across social media, which leveraged influencer partnerships that obtained more than 618,000 impressions across platforms.
In terms of commercial results, Heinz Ketchup Zero currently holds a market share of 3 per cent for the month of October, with a 0.5 per cent increase in October versus September.
“The Talking Fridge ended up creating genuinely memorable engagements and emotional connections, especially among younger consumers. It turned trying Heinz Zero into a moment worth sharing, proving that Zero Sugar and Zero Salt can still be full of Heinz flavor and full of fun,” concluded El Ghannam.
Credits
Brand: Kraft Heinz
- Passant ElGhannam, Head of Marketing – MEA
- Lobna Saad, Head of Brand Build – MEA
- Samar Hasanin, Regional Senior Category Manager – MENAF
- Leila Azmi, AFH Brand Build Marketing
- Baher Arafat, Media Lead MEA
- Yomna El Gabry, Head of Marketing GCC and South Africa
- Ilya Myskin, Regional Category Manager
- Lilya Otmani, Marketing Intern
PR & Influencers – Current Global MENAT
- Peter Jacob, Managing Director, MENAT
- Jude Lahham, Account Director, MENAT
- LuAnne D’Souza, Account Director- Influencer Marketing, MENAT
- Riya Awtaney, Account Manager, MENAT
- May Hajouj, Senior Associate – Integrated Media, MENAT
- Aastha Chaurasia, Senior Associate – Integrated Media, MENAT
- Umar Gulamnabi, Associate – Integrated Media, MENAT
- Mona Shaibani, Junior Associate – Integrated Media, MENAT
- Sohailla Ossama, Account Coordinator, MENAT
Creative – FP7 McCann Dubai
- Chief Creative Officer – Federico Fanti
- Group Creative Director – Jonathan Cruz
- Creative Director – Jimmy Cobos
- Associate Creative Director – Rob Hall
- Associate Creative Director – Bruno Montoro
- Senior Art Director – Arthur Melo
- Copywriter – Mayank Shewale
- Group Account Director – Melike Orhon
- Senior Account Director – Dalia Hosny
- Account Manager – Freddy George
- Account Executive – Rumaisa Azhar
Social Media – McCann Content Studios
- Maria Corban – Senior Social Media Manager
- Dala AlKabbani – Senior Social Media Executive
- Melquiades Abrera – Senior Content Creator
