Absolutely Heinz

Heinz and Absolut Vodka's pasta sauce launch brings joy to pasta sauce lovers around the world.

Combining disparate elements such as Tik Tok trends, 80’s nostalgia and pop culture, the epic collaboration between Heinz and Absolut was an instant hit with consumers, becoming Heinz’s biggest partnership in the last five years. Inspired by Absolut's famous ads shot by Andy Warhol, the campaign turns back the clock to one of advertising's legendary eras and was covered in major media titles in more than 30 countries, including The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Sun, The Mirror, and The Daily Mail, amongst many others.

Absolutely Heinz proves that involving creatives at the earliest stage of product conceptualization can make a big difference. Suggesting a collaboration with Absolut Vodka and influencing the packaging design were keys to the success of this iconic product launch and campaign. None of this would have been possible without Heinz and Wunderman Thompson working together as one.

Paco Badia

Executive Creative Director, Wunderman Thompson Spain

After 150 years, Heinz launched its first pasta sauce for the British market with the 'Ridiculously Late, Ridiculously Good' platform and a year after its success, Heinz sought to refresh and bring new excitement to the category and the brand by creating buzz about what was happening and inspiring audiences find out more.

The inspiration came from “Penne alla Vodka”, an 1980s recipe that model Gigi Hadid turned hugely viral on Tik Tok. What could generate more buzz than launching this trendy sauce in collaboration with Absolut – the UK's #1 premium vodka? Clearly a win-win strategy was for Heinz to leverage the "cool factor" of Absolut, while Absolut could leverage Heinz’s iconic and witty brand.

The creative idea was destined to be inspired by Absolut 1980s and 90s print campaigns in terms of copy, art direction and craft. That’s how 'Absolutely Tomato,' 'Absolutely Foodie' and 'Absolutely Pasta' were born. We searched for a perfect balance between both brands by integrating Heinz with the most iconic silhouette in the history of advertising. We elevated the value of the collaboration by paying homage to the "old school" masters, making it look organic and no CGI was used in the process.

The campaign achieved astonishing results, quickly garnering over 500M earned media impressions and went global as it was covered in more than 900 media titles in more than 30 countries. It also generated massive social conversations, especially on Tiktok, where #AbsolutelyHeinz achieved more than 6.6M views.

More than 200 fashion editors and well-known influencers reached out for product samples, and though sales weren’t the main objective, the product reached 50 units per store per week (versus a typical average of seven) and doubled projected sales. We're proud to say that the launch generated a 52% uplift on Heinz's entire pasta sauce range driven by this product alone.