Heinz latest advertising campaign has creatively taken AI text-to-image machine learning programs to illustrate the market leadership of its tomato sauce brand.
This campaign succinctly demonstrates the power of mental availability, how brands establish and maintain a presence in people minds to influence purchase decisions, as discussed by Peter Field in the 19th Brands Lecture.
As part of the ‘Draw Ketchup’ campaign, they gave a machine the task of drawing “ketchup”. The results illustrated almost virtual duplications of Heinz’s ketchup and the iconic ‘tombstone’ device – demonstrating the power of visual brand identity. This is a strong example of a campaign focused on strengthening brand affinity, while providing evidence that “Heinz is an icon.”
Commentary: This campaign may have evolved from AI technology but it gives fabulous insight into how the brain works and why brands matter to people, helping them navigate markets and make informed choices. Many of the AI outputs are recognisable as Heinz Ketchup, without any words. It also shows how parasitic copies / lookalikes work, borrowing key elements of long-established visual elements (built through investment) to evoke brand memories and influence shopper behaviour and their buying decisions.