Heinz is showing its teeth — quite literally — with one of its boldest and most unconventional campaigns to date. In a playful yet clever move, the iconic ketchup brand has launched “Heinz Grillz”, a golden dental accessory designed not just for style, but for function: opening sauce packets.
Merging urban fashion, practicality, and humor, this campaign turns an everyday struggle into a fashion statement — and a viral brand moment.
The idea was sparked by a universal, if slightly awkward, habit: opening ketchup sachets with your teeth. It’s fast, sure, but often ends with torn packets and stained shirts. Heinz saw a cultural insight and ran with it: what if that unsightly moment became… aspirational?
Enter Heinz Grillz — a custom-made, gold-plated grill designed in collaboration with the agency Africa Creative. Engraved with the Heinz logo, the piece is both fashionable and functional, with teeth sharp enough to cleanly open ketchup sachets. No more mess. Just drip — both in the sauce and in the style sense.
Heinz has long been known for turning everyday behavior into creative campaigns — from ketchup bottle tattoos to “ketchup insurance.” But Heinz Grillz goes a step further. It taps directly into the aesthetics of hip-hop culture, Gen Z expression, and the growing intersection of food and fashion.
Grillz, often associated with hip-hop icons and street credibility, become here an unexpected branded object — one that sparks curiosity, admiration, and plenty of shares. Though not available for public sale, the exclusivity adds to the buzz. Handcrafted from custom molds, they’ve already made waves on social media, showing up on influencers, rappers, and fashion-forward foodies.
That’s one of the campaign’s taglines — and a perfect example of how Heinz is leaning into a tone that’s cheeky, confident, and ultra-targeted. Every element of the campaign is designed for digital — not billboards, but newsfeeds. Not broad TV spots, but TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts.
By embracing the codes of youth culture instead of trying to dictate them, Heinz positions itself not as a brand that sells to Gen Z, but one that gets them.
What sets this campaign apart is that it’s not just a gimmick — it’s rooted in real consumer behavior. And it reflects a broader shift in brand strategy: products becoming experiences. As Thiago Lopes, CMO of Kraft Heinz Brazil, put it, “More than just selling products, we aim to create memorable moments.”
And this moment? Golden. Literally.
By speaking about sauce through the language of fashion and culture, Heinz shows how a legacy brand can stay culturally relevant without ever taking itself too seriously. The Grillz campaign proves that the most effective advertising doesn’t always scream “buy me” — sometimes, it just needs to make you smile, repost, or say: “Did you see this?”
With Heinz Grillz, the brand continues to bite into the future of marketing — one gold tooth at a time.
