Heinz Fridge vs. Cupboard
Work Detail Body
One tweet. One debate. A global food fight that made Heinz the most talked-about brand on social
For 147 years, Heinz Tomato Ketchup has been a household staple. But amid the cost-of-living crisis, consumers were increasingly turning to own-brand alternatives. To reinforce the Irrational Love that Heinz fans have for its ketchup, the campaign needed to create a disruptive, high-engagement moment that put the brand at the center of conversation.
The idea was simple: tap into a highly polarising, already-existing debate—should ketchup be stored in the fridge or the cupboard? By leveraging this ownable human truth and turning it into a platform-native conversation, Heinz was able to reinforce its category leadership and spark a massive cultural moment.
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The debate was settled with a single tweet
Knowing Twitter was the ultimate platform for heated debates, Heinz strategically partnered with No Context Brits, a Twitter account with 1.8 million followers, to amplify the conversation. Within hours, "Fridge" and "Cupboard" were trending in both the UK and the U.S., with fans, influencers, and brands alike weighing in.
A Twitter poll followed, asking consumers where they store their ketchup. 13,000 people voted, with 63.2% siding with Heinz. The debate quickly spread across mainstream media, making headlines on The Mirror, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and CNN, while TV, radio, and podcasts fueled the discussion further.
To keep momentum going, Heinz launched limited-edition mini-fridges, reinforcing its stance. A Twitter and Instagram contest asking fans to share their ketchup storage preference received over 23,500 submissions, pushing Heinz back into Twitter’s top trending topics in the UK.
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The impact
By tapping into a universally relatable debate, Fridge vs. Cupboard sparked a global conversation, reinforcing Brits’ deep-rooted love for Heinz Tomato Ketchup. The campaign became Heinz’s most successful PR moment of the year, creating a disruptive social stunt that captivated audiences worldwide.
The debate dominated cultural conversations, with major publications including The Mirror, The Guardian, Daily Mail, The New York Post, The Washington Post, and CNN covering the campaign. Heinz’s UK Twitter account saw a 16.2% increase in followers, significantly outperforming competitors, whose growth averaged at -0.11% during the same period. The campaign also generated 5,300% more impressions and 2,500% more engagement year-over-year, proving just how deeply the conversation resonated.
4.4b
Global media impressions
1.08b
Total social impressions
467k
Total social engagements
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Creative
Production
PR