Readers that remember the glory days of the modem might have assumed painfully slow loads were a thing of the past, but last week found Heinz paying tribute to its 57 varieties with an especially lengthy website wait – 57 minutes to be precise.

Those with the patience to wait (and who are also based in the US) were rewarded with a “well that was slow” message and the chance of winning a home burger kit – which arguably feels like a bit of a letdown after an almost hour of anticipation. There’s also the sense that anyone not in on the joke wouldn’t be prepared to wait much longer than a few minutes.

That aside, the website is another piece of playfulness from the brand who, at the height of lockdown, gave away 57 all-red ketchup jigsaw puzzles (winning in the Design category of last year’s Epica Awards).

Other fun recent campaigns include a Selfridges pop up to celebrate its slogan, and an idea introduced in the TV series Mad Men brought to life as a real advert.

 

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The new website stunt (which has now ended) seems to be part of a fresh focus on Heinz ketchup as being something worth waiting for, which perhaps steers a little close to Guinness territory for comfort. Time will tell whether there’s enough room here for Heinz to make its own stamp.