The Merging of Fiction and Reality in Advertising
Mad Men’s Don Draper is ubiquitous with the marketing/advertising world (among other things), and now, Heinz Ketchup is bringing to light a (fake) failed campaign and using it now. And it is genius.
It isn’t often that marketing worlds collide like this. Oh sure, brands constantly partner with movies, tv shows and other brands to cross-pollinate for a PR stunt so to speak, but this is a little different.
Backstory: in the show, Don presents a marketing campaign for Heinz ketchup, creatively having the product absent from the ads to emphasize the need for it (“pass the Heinz”). While it failed in the show, the actual ketchup brand took note and decided to vindicate the fictional scenario by recreating the ads today and using them.
What makes this such a unique and fun campaign is that it merges the two worlds of past and present; reality and fiction-both in tv and real life as well as a real campaign versus a fake one.
For a campaign to go meta is always a fun treat for the consumer. For fans of the show it is particularly rewarding, but overall, it is a clever campaign with which anyone can engage.
