In a city notorious for its no-ketchup-on-hot-dogs mantra, Heinz is shaking things up by installing ketchup-dispensing billboards outside Chicago eateries. According to a statement to NBC Chicago, Heinz is well aware of the "complicated relationship" that Chicago has with ketchup, but stands firm in their belief that 88% of people prefer their brand when dining out. To press forward their agenda, Heinz is cheekily positioning smackable billboards that dish out Heinz Ketchup in some notable locations that have historically snubbed the condiment.
The interactive billboards appear slated to startle folks into a sauce surprise beginning April 2 at Naval Pier near a fast-food chain that notably snubs Heinz and outside the infamous ketchup-eschewing Wieners Circle. The gimmick aims to literally give Chicagoans a handout of Heinz to carry to restaurants that stubbornly deny them the condiment. According to Block Club Chicago, the billboards house a ketchup bottle which, upon smack, will graciously dispense packets of the brand's ketchup.
There's also a digital dimension to this campaign. Heinz is launching a website where diners can report restaurants that aren't serving up the goods. "For a select number, the brand will deliver on their ketchup cravings with pop-up billboards outside the reported restaurants," Heinz elucidated in a statement to NBC Chicago. This new scheme will also let fans redeem a personal stash of the product through QR codes on the billboards, ensuring they never have to eat a ketchup-less meal again—at least not within the promo's time frame.
The promotion isn't an isolated instance of Heinz trying to sneak its way into Chicago's condiment culture. The move follows a 2017 ruse when Heinz introduced "Chicago Dog Sauce," essential ketchup in disguise, to celebrate National Hot Dog Day. This playful defiance against culinary tradition seems to imbue Heinz's strategies, constantly challenging the ethos of hot dog purists. The company believes in meeting condimental needs even when local lore might frown upon it. "We're all for ketchup – up to the age of decision," Tom McGlade, then-spokesman for Vienna Beef, once humorously quipped, as recalled by Block Club Chicago.
The bold billboard antics of Heinz are to grace the streets of Chicago through April 9, looking to make a saucy statement in the land where ketchup on hot dogs is nearly seen as a culinary sin. It remains to be seen how the locals will catch up to this campaign, but needless to say, it's sure to squeeze out some strong opinions one way or the other.
