Heinz - "Hidden Spots" campaign
Heinz sought to increase brand relevance and engagement among the gaming community, specifically targeting players of fast-paced online games like Call of Duty. The client wanted to position Heinz as a brand that understood and solved real gamer frustrations, driving organic conversation and media attention. Agency Gut São Paulo was tasked.
Creative Idea
Heinz mapped safe "Hidden Spots" in games, allowing players to eat burgers, not bullets.
Heinz partnered with Call of Duty and streamers to identify "Hidden Spots" on new game maps, allowing gamers to safely snack mid-match without dying, cleverly solving a real-time gaming frustration and positioning Heinz as a gamer's ally.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Heinz, a leading condiment brand, could credibly connect with mealtime and provide solutions for eating challenges.
Category
Gaming campaigns often focus on skill or entertainment, while food brands typically highlight taste or meal occasions, rarely intersecting with in-game utility.
Customer
Gamers felt frustrated by the inability to pause fast-paced online games to eat, leading to the dilemma of hunger versus in-game survival.
Culture
The cultural shift towards fast-paced, unpausable online multiplayer games and the rise of gaming influencers created a ripe context.
Company
Heinz, a leading condiment brand, could credibly connect with mealtime and provide solutions for eating challenges.
Category
Gaming campaigns often focus on skill or entertainment, while food brands typically highlight taste or meal occasions, rarely intersecting with in-game utility.
Strategy:
Leverage brand's core offering to solve an unaddressed, real-time consumer friction within popular culture.
Customer
Gamers felt frustrated by the inability to pause fast-paced online games to eat, leading to the dilemma of hunger versus in-game survival.
Culture
The cultural shift towards fast-paced, unpausable online multiplayer games and the rise of gaming influencers created a ripe context.
Strategy:
Leverage brand's core offering to solve an unaddressed, real-time consumer friction within popular culture.
Results
The campaign successfully engaged a massive audience, with top influencers like @RAKIN (3.1M SUBSCRIBERS), @ABOFLAH (23.2M SUBSCRIBERS), and @VIKKSTAR123 (746 SUBSCRIBERS) participating. In only a few hours, the gaming community 'got hungry for more,' and hundreds of spots were mapped out organically, not only in Call of Duty's new map but also in other blockbuster games like Fortnite, CS:GO, and PUBG. The campaign resulted in +12 Million Gamers Impacted across 13 Countries, generating +550 Million Global Impressions. It was hailed as 'A MARKETING TRANSFORMATION' by CNN and recognized by 'Top Twitch Streamers' as a 'global movement.'
+550M
global impressions
+12M
gamers impacted
13
countries
Strategy Technique
Solve a Daily Annoyance
The campaign directly addressed the common gamer frustration of not being able to eat during intense online matches. By providing "Hidden Spots," Heinz offered a practical solution to a specific, everyday problem.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Unexpected Utility
Heinz created a practical in-game guide to "Hidden Spots" where gamers could eat safely. This provided a tangible, unexpected solution to a common gaming frustration, making the brand genuinely useful.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional in its strategic integration of a brand into the core gameplay experience of popular video games, leveraging digital craft and influencer marketing to solve a real gamer problem with a clever, tangible solution.
The campaign ingeniously identified and mapped 'safe zones' within complex game environments, turning a brand problem into a unique and highly relevant in-game utility for gamers.
The creation of custom burger wraps that doubled as game maps was a clever physical manifestation, extending the digital campaign into a tangible, collectible item.
The campaign effectively engaged top global streamers to organically promote the 'Hidden Spots,' generating authentic content and widespread community adoption.
Strategic placement within the most popular gaming titles and platforms, timed with new map releases, ensured maximum relevance and reach within the target audience.
The campaign's brilliance stems from the seamless synergy between digital craft, design, and influencer marketing, creating an immersive and highly relevant brand experience that resonated deeply with the gaming community.
