Dive Brief:

• Heinz is promoting its signature condiment's use as fake blood for Halloween festivities through new merchandise and limited-run Tomato Blood Ketchup packaging, per details emailed to Marketing Dive.  
• The seasonal gear, which includes Tomato Blood costume kits, masks and premade outfits themed around mummies, pirates and more, is available on an e-commerce microsite, HeinzHalloween.com, starting today. The condiment marketer is also opening its first Heinz Halloween Store in Los Angeles where visitors can pick up the gear and interact with "drip stations" for decorating their attire.
• Agency partner Wieden+Kennedy NY developed a 15-second spot showing off the Tomato Blood Ketchup, which will be sold at grocery stores nationwide. With the campaign, Heinz is marketing to consumers who are taking a DIY approach to their Halloween planning this year.

Dive Insight:

Heinz is hopping on seasonal trends with a creative effort that recognizes its ketchup brand's long-standing application as fake blood for Halloween costumes and decorations. The marketer is selling both pre-made outfits based on classic monster tropes — a mad scientist costume goes for $28, while the corpse bride dress is $59 — and branded kits so consumers can devise their own grisly looks.  

The kits, which run for $20, include a 20-ounce bottle of the Tomato Blood Ketchup; a makeup palette and brush set; a sponge and dropper; a rhinestone sheet; a tattoo sheet; vampire teeth; and "spooky" fake eyelashes. In leaning into the DIY approach, Heinz hopes that people will share their get-ups on social media with the #HeinzHalloween hashtag to spread the message. That angle comes as retailers grapple with supply chain shortages that are leaving shelves bare, including at some costume stores.  

The condiment maker also developing a pop-up component for the campaign speaks to how experiential marketing continues to make a comeback despite ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. Los Angeles, where the physical Heinz Halloween store is located, last week announced plans for a vaccine mandate that will require residents to show proof of inoculation to enter establishments like bars and restaurants. Heinz is selling a cloth mask with a vampire fang motif as part of its initiative, along with sharing instructions on how to wear the face covering safely with a costume. 

Halloween celebrations are expected to see stronger interest this fall with more widespread vaccinations and the relative safety of outdoor activities. In a recent address, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, encouraged people to go out trick-or-treating for the occasion. 

Heinz has recently created other products that look to get consumers chattering online. In September, it debuted the Heinz Packet Roller, a small gadget that helps to squeeze as much ketchup as possible out of condiment packets.