Heinz recruits vegetarian vampire for return of Tomato Blood ketchup

Dive Quick: 

• Kraft Heinz is again rolling out Tomato Blood ketchup, a Halloween-targeted featuring that pairs the brand’s ketchup recipe with a restricted-time bottle layout, per a press release. The ketchup will be offered for $2.99 in grocery merchants nationwide via Oct.
• To advertise Tomato Blood, Heinz enlisted popular TikTok creator E.J. Marcus to enjoy the purpose of vegetarian vampire, Toby, in a playful spot that will debut Oct. 2 throughout the premier of AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire.” The movie will also be showcased on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
• Heinz will just take over preferred channels on amusement site Fandom and activate on Twitch. The drive also functions scannable QR-code billboards and a partnership with pick Six Flags destinations to offer you “Bloody” nacho fries. The multi-channel, values-driven technique is one particular of a number of initiatives by the brand to enchantment to Gen Z buyers.

Dive Insight:

Kraft Heinz has formerly embraced spooky holiday break spirits with its Tomato Blood ketchup, usually selling the restricted-time rebrand each individual year by tuning into Gen Z interests and macroeconomic tendencies. In 2020, it utilized TikTok to obstacle consumers to share their Halloween transformation using Tomato Blood. In 2021, it offered Do-it-yourself Tomato Blood costume kits, timed to concerns concerning source chain shortages.

This Halloween, Heinz is again championing TikTok for its method as it proceeds to increase above as a preferred Gen Z system. Shopping for into the escalating influencer advertising ecosystem, the brand enlisted common creator E.J. Marcus, recognised for his tongue-in-cheek impressions. Marcus, who experienced nearly 400,000 followers on the application at the time of publication, performs Toby, a human-pleasant, blood activist, influencer vampire who has a sweet spot for Tomato Blood. 

In the advert, Toby pleads with other vampires to contemplate switching to Tomato Blood as an alternative of human blood, declaring that “humans are men and women much too.” Gen Z-concentrated passions back again the argument for why humans could be really worth sparing, particularly for their ability to produce great merchandise, like LED-lit coffins and VR headsets. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hGvv3IQ5gs

The location will debut all through the premier of AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire,” a well timed start that could aid bolster engagement. The location will also be featured throughout YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, the place Tomato Blood articles could resonate very well with viewers — posts applying the hashtag #fakeblood have bolstered more than 5.1 billion views on the ByteDance-owned platform, for every push elements. To even more market TikTok written content, Heinz is making use of vampire-glyph billboards with a scannable QR code that links to supplemental articles. 

Past assembly Gen Z exactly where they are, this year’s drive is evidently price driven, marketing Toby as a vegetarian vampire and “Tomato Blood activist,” alluding to the group’s developing interest in intent-pushed makes. Heinz recently manufactured a comparable price-driven go, partnering with online resale platform ThredUp to craft a assortment of thrifted dresses with ketchup stains — a apparent nod to the developing great importance of sustainability in the life of young consumers.