AMC's hit TV series Mad Men—which is set primarily in the 1960s at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City—made quite an impact on pop culture. From the time it debuted in 2007 to the final episode of its seventh (and last) season in 2015, it influenced fashion, car trends, after-work routines, and even furniture.
Now, Adweek reports that Heinz—the American food processing company best known for its ketchup—is actually greenlighting one of the ad pitches made by Mad Men's lead character Don Draper (Jon Hamm).
It may be recalled that in Mad Men's "To Have And To Hold" (Season 6, Episode 4) Don pitched an ahead of-its-time ad campaign to Heinz execs. Adweek explains, "He proposed not showing the product at all. Instead, the ads would show close-ups of foods that go great with ketchup—french fries, a cheeseburger, a slice of steak—but without any ketchup in sight." Don's proposed tagline was "Pass the Heinz."
While the fictional circa 1960s Heinz executives rejected "Pass the Heinz," their real-life 2017 counterparts are all for it.
Ad agency DAVID presented the Mad Men pitch to Heinz executives. They didn't reveal how much they they paid to use the ad idea, though.
Heinz brand director Nicole Kulwicki told Adweek columnist Tim Nudd, "Even though Don Draper created the 'Pass the Heinz' campaign almost 50 years ago, the communications still really work in today’s world."
Kulwicki added, "Mr. Draper really understood the one thing every Heinz fan knows, which is to never settle for the foods you love without the great taste of Heinz. What we loved about the campaign is that it doesn’t require paragraphs of copy to explain it. It features mouthwatering food images, and all that’s missing is the Heinz."
Eater likewise announced, "The campaign is set to appear on billboards in Manhattan, as well as within the pages of the New York Post and Variety and on social media."
