With its latest campaign, “Reintroducing Heinz,” Heinz Canada is attempting to redefine itself as more than a ketchup brand. To celebrate the launch of the new Heinz Mayonnaise-Style Sauces, an expansion of the brand’s current range of condiment options, the brand launched a new campaign in both English and French Canada.

Done in collaboration with agency partner Rethink, Heinz’s new work is rolling out across linear and connected TV, OLV, paid social and display. Introducing the new sauces into the Heinz portfolio, the creative opens with the brand’s sign leading fans to think an advertisement for ketchup is coming. The electric sign glitches, leaving only the letters for “Hi” lit up as a Jay-Z track declares, “Allow me to reintroduce myself.”

According to the brand, the new launch taps into consumers’ growing craving for more adventurous sauce options in the kitchen and four new flavours.

“Most people immediately think ‘ketchup’ when they hear Heinz, so we saw this launch as an opportunity to flip that expectation,” Brian Neumann, head of brand and creativity for Kraft Heinz Canada, said in a release. “This national campaign was designed to feel cohesive while still having local angles that speak directly to the nuances between English and French Canada. The campaign’s playful ‘Hi’ and ‘Hein?’ easter egg moments are all about reintroducing the brand in a fresh and memorable way, putting our new Mayonnaise-Style Sauces front and centre while leveraging the love Canadian’s already have for our brand.”

The brand has taken a different approach in the key Québec market in order to connect and build awareness with consumers in the province. Leaning into the surprise factor that Heinz makes mayo now, the regional creative highlights this twist by playing on the everyday expression “Hein?” in the Heinz sign, playing on a common Québécois phrase that roughly translates to “huh?” or “come again?” Paired with a local hip hop group through the use of the Dead Obies’ track “Pour vrai,” the Québéc creative attempts to strike a balance between Heinz’s global presence and a uniquely local touch to enhance relevance.

“Heinz is the world’s most famous ketchup brand,” said Jacquelyn Parent, creative director and writer with Rethink. “After 150 years, people think they know exactly what to expect from us. Instead of fighting that reputation while launching Heinz Flavoured Mayo, we embraced it, using our iconicity to launch a new product in a way only Heinz could, and getting people as excited about Heinz mayo, as they are about Heinz Ketchup.”

To maximize visibility, Heinz said it is leaning into key consumption opportunities during the NHL season, securing premium ad spots on Amazon Prime Monday Night Hockey and tapping into Canada’s biggest sports platform, The Score, with takeovers, sponsored articles and multimedia ads during key NHL games.

Heinz has also collaborated with top-tier lifestyle and food creators to produce fun, engaging content rolling out in September that highlights the launch and new flavours.