Heinz has been forced into a dramatic u-turn over the advertising of its Baked Beanz brand following the entry into the market last month of Branston Beans.
The company has lifted the freeze on above-the-line activity it made this summer to support its beans brand, concentrating on the heritage, originality and taste of the product.
Two 10-second ads break on Monday (November 14) running for four weeks with the strapline ‘the original, the superbean’ and flag up the number one status of Heinz Baked Beanz, which has a 68% share of the baked beans market and is growing in value at 6.2% year-on-year [IRI 52 w/e October 8, 2005].
The decision comes in the wake of aggressive activity by Premier Foods for its Branston Baked Beans, focusing on the taste of the product and its high spice and tomato content. It is running a high-profile national poll asking consumers to vote for their favourite baked bean and has run a competition in The Sun giving consumers the chance to win a year’s supply.
“This is a particularly good time to communicate with our customers, as Premier Foods tries for the third time to challenge us with yet another bean brand,” said Simon Breckon, senior brand manager for Heinz Baked Beanz.
“Heinz Baked Beanz is a British institution, ingrained in the nation’s everyday eating habit. The new creatives highlight Heinz Baked Beanz’s unique taste and emotional heritage and will continue to drive category growth.”

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