Forget splashy celebrity endorsements and official sponsorships—the real winner of marketing gold at China’s 15th National Games in 2025 might just be a humble bottle of Heinz Ketchup. While athletes battle for medals across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, an unexpected campaign by Heinz, crafted by the brilliant minds at Heaven & Hell Shanghai, became a viral sensation.
Their genius? A visual metaphor that turned the green tops of tomatoes into 34 distinct athletes, each leaf bent and twisted to embody a sport, from weightlifting to breakdancing. The tagline, “Every tomato that strives to win is in Heinz,” was a stroke of genius in brand storytelling, subtly linking the brand’s commitment to quality ingredients with the intense dedication of the Games’ competitors. The partnership and campaign were about being culturally resonant. Heinz strategically identified Guangdong as a key market and saturated high-traffic areas—subway stations, elevator screens, and social platforms like Xiaohongshu—with these delightful tomato characters.
The campaign’s strength lay in its ability to spark organic conversation and engagement, transforming a simple food product into a playful symbol of national pride and athletic support. It exemplified how brands can tap into the zeitgeist of a major cultural event, not through financial muscle, but through sheer creative ingenuity and an unexpected, shareable narrative that truly captures the Gen Z imagination.
All images via Xiaohongshu.
