When Don Draper pitched an ad campaign on Mad Men, the clients usually ate it up — then bought it. But that wasn’t always the case. Witness the Season 6 episode of the AMC drama in which the Madison Avenue exec (Jon Hamm) tries to sway the ketchup brass on a campaign centered on the tagline “Pass the Heinz.” They pass.
Fast forward a half-century in TV time – or four Earth years – and life is imitating art. Co-credited to Mad Men‘s Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, Draper’s original campaign will run in print ads and outdoor billboards around New York City through traditional.
Heinz says it “selected the ‘Pass the Heinz’ campaign after an agency review because it is clever, modern and doesn’t require paragraphs of copy to convey what Heinz brings to the table.” Watch Draper make his pitch above.
“Whether it’s fries without Heinz ketchup or hot dogs without Heinz mustard, this campaign perfectly captures the desire for great-tasting Heinz products with America’s favorite foods,” the (real) company said.
Keeping it real-ish, Heinz’s press release includes an “About Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce” element: “A full-service advertising agency located in New York, working with clients in a variety of industries including automotive, health care, consumer products, food and other packaged goods. The firm does not accept any tobacco-related work.”
And the Clio for incorporating an iconic TV series into a real-world ad campaign goes to …
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