Despite not having a (hot) dog in the fight, Heinz Ketchup is taking credit for helping broker a deal between the “Big Bun” and “Big Wiener” companies that finally addresses the frustrating imbalance between the number of buns and wieners in their respective packages.
Just in time for National Hot Dog Month in July, Wonder Bread plans to introduce 10-packs of its hot dog buns in Ontario, meaning they will finally match up with the 10-packs that hot dogs are commonly sold in.
The bread company says it was inspired by “The Heinz Hot Dog Pact,” a marketing effort launched by Kraft Heinz Canada and its agency Rethink last year, urging the wiener and bun companies to find an equitable solution for the discrepancy between the number of buns and wieners.
An accompanying Change.org petition has attracted more than 33,000 signatures, perhaps proving that voters are still willing to engage on the important issues.
The limited-edition packs will be available in No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Your Independent Grocer, Dollarama and Valu-mart stores beginning June 23. The packs bear a label indicating that Wonder is “Proud Supporter” of The Heinz Hot Dog Pact, along with the line “10 wieners. 10 buns.”
Kraft is celebrating making “hot dog history” with another ad campaign from Rethink that is running across social, complemented by digital out-of-home and wild postings near retailers carrying the 10-packs of Wonder buns.
The ads feature messages like “The end of uneven packs is here” and “10 buns. 10 wieners. We did it.” Media for the campaign was handled by Carat, with The Kitchen for social and community management, and Middle Child for PR.
However, it should be noted that some hot dog purists will argue until they’re red in the face that ketchup has no business on a hot dog. That’s backed up by the U.S. National Hot Dog and Sausage Council’s guide to “Hot Dog Etiquette,” which states that nobody over the age of 18 should use the condiment on their dog.
It seems like an intractable issue. But you’d imagine that Heinz relishes the idea of solving one of food’s great dilemmas.
