Heinz Just Released Limited-Edition ‘Ketchup Sprinkles’ — and it Was a Hit

Heinz really, really wants the Dutch to swap their beloved mayonnaise for ketchup when dipping their fries. So much so that it’s willing to turn its ketchup into the only thing the Dutch love more than mayo: Sprinkles. 

OK, let’s get one thing out of the way. No, this is not a real product you can actually buy. Rather, it’s very, very clever marketing — think McDonald’s Japan and its “French Fry Perfume.” But honestly, we’re kind of here for it and would love to see the ketchup sprinkles come to market. 

But, in an effort to educate Dutch people on the fact that ketchup is an excellent choice as a French fry dip, Heinz and the ad agency Gut Amsterdam created a very limited supply of ketchup “hagelslag,” which are typically chocolate sprinkles that Dutch people love to put on bread. 

“This campaign is all about applying a uniquely Dutch lens to the universal appeal of Heinz ketchup,” Guillaume Roukhomovsky, the creative director at Gut Amsterdam, told AdAge. “Sometimes, the gutsiest work happens when we take things that aren’t serious very seriously. We knew that Hagelchup was a bold idea to bring to Heinz, and the fact that the team was immediately game is a real testament to the brand’s sense of fun.”

It first presented the product in a video, which noted they are “proudly presenting the most Dutch product we’ve ever made,” before launching its limited supply at the Heertje Friet market in Amsterdam for one single weekend.  

“Why is a ‘patatje met’ always just with mayonnaise, and what would it be like if we could sprinkle Heinz tomato ketchup on top in the shape of traditional Dutch chocolate sprinkles,” Belén Llamazares Carballo, the marketing director at Kraft Heinz, shared in a statement with reporters about the ad and theoretical product. “Then we would merge the best of two Dutch traditions.”

However, the ketchup sprinkles had a simpler message than trying to change Dutch tradition. Heinz simply wanted to make people smile. (OK, and maybe rethink their choice of dip every now and then.) 

“At Heinz, it’s always our main goal to convey irrational love and put a smile on as many faces as possible,” Carballo added. “Add an innovative surprise element with a touch of humor and you have the answer to the questions we asked ourselves: Hagelchup. We hope to surprise many fans during this exclusive activation, and we look forward to seeing all the happy faces after the first bite.”

But really, Heinz, make this real. We’d buy it.