AW: How does something like this fit Heinz’s wider marketing strategy?
TK: “Understanding the role these cultural passion points can play in brand-building, especially for brands that are so developed [and] well known, have awareness, have household penetration, so it’s not like people haven’t heard of Heinz. It’s how people connect to it on a deeper level, and the role that music plays is such an enriching part of people’s lives.
“The key is figuring out how to connect authentically into those spaces in the right way, understanding the role your brand does and doesn’t play, and the whole campaign around Heinz is this idea of ‘irrational love.’
“There are people who have Heinz tattoos, and they put ketchup on everything, and it has to be Heinz. And as you have that irrational love for other elements of your life, as you look at music as a great example, there are people who will fly to another city just to go to Kendrick’s concert. There are people who will follow 20 different social handles just to get the latest scoop. That’s irrational love, and that’s where it’s a great connection for our brand and a new voice for Heinz too.
“This is a new way we’re approaching Heinz, and a lot of our brands at Kraft Heinz, deeper into culture.”
AW: Heinz received criticism for its “Heinz Smiles” campaign which was accused of evoking blackface imagery. What lessons did you learn from that campaign now as you partner with a Black artist?
TK: “It showed us that a big company like us can have brand safety protocols that I think internally needed to reevaluate processes to ensure we’re safeguarding the brands, being mindful of cultural impact, and we’re committed to doing that. We’ll continue to actively listen, learn, and grow.
“As it relates to this collaboration, Mustard has had decades-long fandom for Heinz and we’re celebrating him at the end of the day, we’re celebrating his achievement as a musician, as a producer, and just really trying to make sure we connect with him in the right ways.”
AW: If we were to talk in six months, what would you have wanted this campaign to achieve?
TK: “I have this philosophy with our team that I’m trying to implement now, I call it ‘marketing that happens.’ So six months from now, I would like to look back and say, ‘Wow, people remember that this happened?’ This wasn’t just a one-and-done moment.”
