AI may think that Heinz = ketchup but the Middle East needs encouragement to think about ketchup at all.
So Wunderman Thompson Dubai has given them something to help that – men’s traditional white robes (or in the Middle East, thobes) that can’t be stained by tomato – or any – messy sauce.
The Unstainable Thobe is a stain-resistant garment that can be easily cleaned with a mere splash of water. The brand turned to nanotechnology to create a protective barrier that keeps liquid from penetrating the thobe’s fabric.
A hero video puts the new thobe to the test, showing a man applying a stream of ketchup to his burger without caution. When the sauce splashes back onto the garment, he’s able to get rid of the mess effortlessly before continuing to Eat fearlessly (which is the campaign’s tagline).
“Our idea was not to use innovation for the sake of innovation,” stated Pablo Dachefsky, Wunderman Thompson Dubai executive creative director. “We did it to connect Heinz to the region’s pride in a relevant way. For a community that is brave under so many circumstances, being afraid of ketchup just didn’t make any sense.”
To amplify the idea, Heinz sent its first batch of thobes to Saudi content creator, Criminal, to test for his followers in a video.
“Heinz was a leader in the GCC market, but the brand’s image carried a certain distance to the local audience due to its worldwide fame,” Dachefsky added. “We needed to help them show how rooted we are to this region, and tackling a cultural challenge seemed like our best chance to do it.”
The campaign is running online, in print and OOH across Middle Eastern markets until October 15.
Credits
Agency: Wunderman Thompson Dubai
Chief Creative Officer, MENA: Chafic Haddad
Executive Creative Director, Dubai: Pablo Dachefsky
Creative Director, Dubai: Tiago Bastos
Associate Creative Director: Marcelo Zylberberg
Senior Copywriter: Adham Abdullah
Senior Art Director: Jericho Dizon
Editor, Dubai: Avinash Kumar
Motion Designer: Aashim Kadayikkal
Executive Producer, BigFoot: Aly SeifElNasr
Producer, Melt Studio: Ibrahim Barakat
Audio production, BKP: Stella Violla
Strategy Director, Dubai: Mona Hassanie
Business Director, Dubai: Irmak Aktas
Senior Account Manager, Dubai: Natalie Michel
Social Media Manager, Dubai: Mohammed Adil
Client: Heinz
Marketing Manager: Hachim Essaifi
Brand Manager: Rita Giannelli
Media, Digital Head: Rovini Illukkumbura
