Fifty years ago in the fictional advertising world of Mad Men, creative director Don Draper pitched an idea to condiments company Heinz that didn’t show its tomato ketchup, just the food that went with it with the slogan “Pass the Heinz.”
Sadly, for Don at the the time, Heinz executives rejected the idea, believing it was a bit too avant-garde for the brand. That said, the idea of creating a craving for a product without actually showing it has been used by creatives for some time.
But five decades on, the “Pass the Heinz” idea is set to become a reality.
Part ad, part PR stunt, Heinz is set to launch exact replicas of the campaign created in the TV show that also coincides with its 10th anniversary.
The idea to reproduce the ads came from Heinz’s current creative agency David Miami; however, in a nice touch, Don and Mad Men’s creator Matthew Weiner, who gave the thumbs up to the idea, are both listed in the credits.
