The Art of the Slow Pour: Heinz & ReThink

A drizzle here, a dollop there, and an oh-so-deliberate squeeze that makes anticipation almost edible. It’s in this world of slowness that Heinz ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise find their groove. Picture it—the ketchup’s languid descent onto a hot, crispy fry; the mayonnaise’s creaminess spreading over a freshly toasted slice; the mustard’s vibrant color asserting its tanginess before even hitting the hotdog. 

Now imagine the same vivid imagery transforming into an advertising campaign; that’s where Heinz and their Canadian agency partner, ReThink, alongside renowned photographer Jim Norton took the stage. Their “Heinz – Slow, Slower, Slowest” campaign reminded everyone not just of the iconic Heinz ketchup but also its often-overlooked siblings—the mayonnaise and the mustard.

This blog post will explore how a beloved classic bottle of Heinz ketchup and its slower-pouring kin stirred up a delightful blend of creativity, nostalgia, and mouthwatering temptation. Get ready for a flavorful journey that’s savored best when taken slow.

By: Jim Norton

“Everyone knows about Heinz Ketchup but forget about their delicious mayonnaise and mustard. How do we remind Canadians that their other sauces are just as iconic?

Agency Approach

“Everyone loves Heinz Ketchup, but we wanted to show ketchup fans that their other sauces are just as good. So much of Heinz Ketchup’s equity is in being slow, but we realized that the other condiments, like mayo and mustard, are even slower. What we love about this campaign is that even though the logo is small and in the corner, you immediately know that these products are Heinz. Our keystone is iconic, and the slow pour of ketchup on fries is undoubtedly Heinz. Ketchup anchored our campaign and elevated the other sauces to its level of iconicity.” -Kennedy Choi (AD) & Jenai Kershaw (CW), ReThink

Creative Execution

“For me, as the photographer, this was a true collaboration combining the original conceptual idea and bringing it to life in front of the camera. Not only was this creative but also highly technical, requiring specific components to have the three different sauces perform correctly.

“We were adamant that the sauces needed to be true to reality so that texture and thickness were clearly portrayed while squeezed onto the food. Each product was given a bespoke approach showing its attributes and projecting the concept of slow-moving liquid in an elementary but iconic final image. As these images would be situated next to each other, we needed to make sure the sauces had a similar squeeze and pour that remained consistent in each photo. My team tested several ways to approach this, both mechanical and manual, and in the end, the best results were done by hand squeezing the product for total control. The final puzzle piece was that the food also had to be iconic and mouthwatering.

“Pairing up each of the sauces with an iconic food reinforced the flavors and attributes of the individual brands, ketchup, mustard & mayo, with excellent results.

The Results

“The result was a series of eye-catching and mouthwatering executions in commuter-heavy areas such as transit, highway billboards, etc., that convey the idea of slow-moving objects, like traffic and transit.”

Credits:

Client: Heinz

Agency: ReThink

Art Director: Kennedy Choi

Copywriter: Jenai Kershaw

Creative Directors: Mike Dubrick, Joel Holtby, Natasha Michalowska

Print Producer: Jenna Fullerton

Account Manager: Katherine Ly

Account Director: Kai de Bruyn Kops

Photographer: Jim Norton Social Links: Instagram, Vimeo

Food Stylist: Matthew Kimura

SPFX: Ian Perch, Simon Baker

Retouching: Evonne Bellefleur

Producers: Nicole Gomez, Tonya Norton

Artist Agency: Fuze Reps

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