The Background
In 2024, Heinz faced a challenging media landscape—spend was down 9% year-on-year, media inflation was rising, brand growth targets had increased, and there was a push from global management to maintain an “always on” presence for 12 months. To maximise impact despite these constraints, Heinz needed a focused, high-efficiency strategy that kept its core products top-of-mind. Rather than spreading the budget thinly, Heinz strategically invested in a single, high-impact sponsorship—Home and Away. The beloved soap opera, with its long-standing loyal Irish audience, provided the perfect platform to keep Heinz products front and centre at key mealtimes. A rotational strategy was used, spotlighting different products seasonally, but Beanz was given priority in high performing months due to its strong heritage, versatility—especially at mealtime—and high consumer appeal. Market share performance was tracked by Kantar, ensuring clear KPI measurement.
The campaign set out to:
- Increase Value Market Share (VMS): Grow Beanz VMS by 2.5% points while boosting Soup and Pasta sauces by 0.5% points.
- Boost Volume Market Share (VoIMS): Maintain a consistent presence, targeting 30% VoIMS for Beanz, 40% for Soup, and 3% for Pasta.
- Increase household penetration by +4% for Beanz.
- Grow shopper purchase frequency of Beanz by +1.5%.
This campaign was shortlisted for the Best Use of TV Sponsorship at the 2025 TAMI Awards
The Challenge
Maximising Mealtime Moments
With the rise of hybrid and remote working, mealtimes have become even more significant for consumers, creating a demand for quick, nutritious, and convenient options without compromising on taste. Heinz, with its versatile product range —including Beanz, Soup, Mayo, and Pasta—naturally fits into everyday lunch and dinner routines. Recognising this, Dentsu saw a prime opportunity to position Heinz as the go-to mealtime companion through the Home and Away sponsorship. With the show’s two peak viewership periods—lunchtime (12:00–15:00) and dinnertime (18:00–20:00)—aligning perfectly with consumer food occasions, the sponsorship ensured relevance, visibility, and impact precisely when Heinz products are top of mind. At the time of evaluation, RTÉ Player was on track for a record-breaking 100 million streams, with Home and Away consistently ranking in the top 10—and often the top 3—most-streamed shows. Recognising its sustained popularity and high engagement, Dentsu secured the inclusion of VOD stings in the sponsorship, ensuring Heinz remained highly visible as streaming continued to grow.
To amplify seasonal relevance, they strategically complemented the sponsorship with premium placements in the Olympics and Paralympics coverage—particularly effective for Ketchup, a key summer staple. While both Ketchup and Mayo see peak demand in warmer months, the Home and Away sponsorship prioritised Mayo, while Ketchup was supported through standalone AV and social activity, aligning with major global events with strong Irish time zone alignment.
A Research-Driven Approach
Audience insights and media consumption patterns were central to our planning:
- Home and Away attracts a strong daytime audience (12:00–15:00), particularly among Grocery Shoppers With Kids—Heinz’s core target audience.
- The evening broadcast provided another opportunity to reinforce Heinz’s role in mealtime moments.
- With the show airing from January to November and available year-round on RTÉ Player, Dentsu could map seasonal consumption habits and rotate messaging accordingly. Executing the Strategy Through AV
AV formed the backbone of the strategy, ensuring Heinz remained top-of-mind when consumers were most engaged. Running from January 2nd to November 17th, the Home and Away sponsorship aligned with the show’s broadcast calendar, reinforcing Heinz’s presence at key mealtime moments. By strategically focusing on lunchtime and dinnertime slots, the team seamlessly integrated the brand into daily food routines, strengthening habitual association with Heinz products. Few AV sponsorships achieve such precise alignment with consumer behaviour, and by combining this with a broader multi-platform execution, Heinz remained top-of-mind at key mealtime moments. The result? Increased brand engagement, deeper consumer connection, and strong sales growth—all achieved with a leaner, more strategic media approach.
The Strategy
The Home and Away sponsorship was the cornerstone of the strategy, designed to maximise visibility and ensure Heinz products were top-of-mind at the most relevant moments. By aligning with key mealtime broadcasts, Dentsu seamlessly integrated into consumers’ daily routines, reinforcing Heinz as a trusted choice for quick, delicious meals. With a reduced media budget, they needed a highly efficient approach that would deliver sustained impact. A year-long sponsorship of Home and Away—Ireland’s #1 afternoon drama—provided consistent brand presence, strategically targeting viewers during lunchtime (12:00–15:00) and dinnertime (18:00–20:00). These were the moments when our audience was most receptive to food-related messaging, making the sponsorship the perfect vehicle to drive brand salience and sales uplift.
Beyond visibility, the campaign was designed to maximize relevance by rotating Heinz products seasonally. This ensured that messaging resonated with real-life consumption habits:
•Beanz (January–March, August–September): Positioned as a comforting winter meal and a back-to-school staple, supported by OOH and radio activations highlighting convenience, nutrition, and taste.
•Soup (March–May, November–December): Promoted for its versatility and for transitional seasons, with social and OOH activations reflecting its role in both light spring meals and cozy winter dishes.
•Mayonnaise (May–August): Tied into summer BBQ occasions, with sponsorship visibility complemented by sampling initiatives that encouraged trial.
•Ketchup (May–August): Given its universal appeal and high summer demand, Ketchup was supported through a dedicated AV and social campaign, running alongside the Home and Away sponsorship. TV delivered mass reach, while AdSmart targeted light TV viewers. Olympics packages and our GAA spot buy targeted high impact summer programming and aligned Ketchup with major domestic and global events, per the Kraft Heinz global plan.
•Pasta Sauce (September–November): Positioned as an easy, family-friendly dinner solution for the busy back-to school season, supported with retail and social activations reinforcing convenience and versatility.
The Results
The Home and Away sponsorship not only met but exceeded expectations, delivering outstanding results across all key objectives.
1.Value Market Share (VMS) Growth
•Beanz VMS grew by 3.1% points, surpassing the original target of 2.5% points to grow +9.1% YoY, demonstrating strong resonance with consumers and brand relevance during key mealtime moments.
•Across the Heinz portfolio of Soup, Beanz, and Pasta Sauces, VMS saw an average YoY increase of 2.1% points, reflecting the effectiveness of seasonal alignment and AV support, which reinforced Heinz as a trusted mealtime brand. Soup and Pasta smashed their VMS targets of 0.5% by 1.3% and 2% respectively! This equated to +3.2% YoY growth for soup and a massive +62.5% YoY growth for pasta!
2.Volume Market Share (voIMS Performance)
•Heinz Beanz achieved a 31% volume market share, surpassing the target of 30%, cementing its position as a leader in the category!
•Heinz Soup and Pasta Sauces also saw YoY incremental growth to 42.5% VoIMS and 3.9% VoIMS respectively, exceeding their targets by 1.5% points and 0.9% points respectively.
3.Increased Household Penetration
•Beanz household penetration increased by 5.6%, exceeding the target of 4%! This growth highlights the success of the sponsorship in reaching new households and embedding Heinz into daily routines.
4.Shopper Purchase Frequency Improvement
•Purchase frequency of Beanz was boosted by +2.3%, far exceeding the 1.5% objective! This demonstrates the effectiveness of the continuous brand presence and strategic messaging in encouraging repeat purchases.
Proving the Effectiveness of AV Sponsorship
Beanz was our standout success story and our spot light product. Over the past three years, Heinz and Barnardos have partnered on the Heinz Meanz Mealz initiative, supporting vulnerable families in Ireland through Barnardos Breakfast Clubs.
In 2024, while the overall media ad spend remained unchanged, investments in individual channels (OOH, Radio, and Social Media) were adjusted to accommodate the Home & Away Beanz sting, running alongside the Beanz-Barnardos initiative. Spend on Beanz was -4% on Radio, -24% on Social, and -18% on Out Of Home. While the sponsorship spend for promoting this product was €71,000. Overall spend was up only 0.5% since 2023 for Beanz as product, but by leveraging sharp audience targeting—focusing on Grocery Shoppers with Children—and strategically placing content in relevant contexts, Beanz delivered exceptional growth in 2024, which can be attributed to the strength of this AV sponsorship:
“2024 represented a true step change for Heinz, with a smarter, optimised media plan unlocking always-on coverage. This constant presence created a valuable halo effect, driving efficiency and stronger ROI. Carat delivered this bold, first-of-its-kind sponsorship with Home and Away – RTE’s #1 daytime TV show — embedding our brand directly into people’s everyday lives. This 12-month partnership spanned key mealtimes — lunch and dinner, tapping into the x2 key consumption occasion times of day that we want to drive ensuring the Heinz brand and its’ focus categories became part of the nation’s daily routine.”
“This partnership was the single biggest shift in our 2024 media strategy, representing a powerful departure from our 2023 on/off approach. The results speak for themselves, Carat’s innovative integration strategy not only drove brand visibility but made Heinz a natural part of the mealtime conversation. By aligning with culturally relevant content, we blended storytelling with sales impact, delivering both commercial performance and brand love in equal measure.””
Heinz
Credits
Brand:
Heinz
Media Agency:
Dentsu
Award:
TAMI Awards Shortlist Best Use of TV Sponsorship at the 2025 TAMI Awards