Behind the making of the viral Heinz x Absolut collab and the branding lessons for SMEs

Jess Ruhfus, founder of brand collaboration platform, Collabosaurus and Odette Barry, founder of Hack Your Own PR were big fans of Gigi Hadid’s viral ‘Pasta alla Vodka’ recipe back in 2020. Three years later, they’re equally impressed by an inspired brand collaboration. 

Recently brand powerhouses Heinz and Absolut teamed up to release a limited-edition Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce collaboration. While it won’t hit Waitrose’s shelves in the UK until mid-April, this unlikely brand collab has already garnered hundreds of media impressions in diverse publications from B&T to LADbible. 

At first glance, these two brands have little in common. But by harnessing a popular TikTok trend, celebrity appeal AND the nostalgia of both brands (Andy Warhol’s Absolut campaign combined with the popular Heinz slogan “the best things come to those who wait”) the collaboration honours the history and values of both brands. A key ingredient in any delicious collaboration. 

For small businesses without the mass brand awareness of Heinz or Absolut, let alone the advertising budgets, this clever marketing collab is still loaded with lessons. 

Align with trends that add value

It’s easy to get tunnel vision regarding what your ideal customers want. Take a few steps back and look for collaborations that can engage your audience in a new way. 

What are they obsessing over in entirely different categories and industries to your business? Who are they listening to? How are they spending their free time? In Heinz and Absolut’s case, their customers were stuck at home, listening to queen Gigi and giving Pasta alla Vodka a crack.

@tasty

Let’s make Gigi Hadid’s Vodka Pasta! Catch the full how-to on YouTube now! #gigihadidpasta #vodkapasta

♬ original sound – Tasty

The huge advantage for small businesses here is agility. While it may have taken Heinz and Absolut three whole years to bring this viral trend to life, small businesses can jump on opportunities quickly and reap the benefits of aligning with a trend in real-time. 

Use collabs like Heinz x Absolut to test the market

Brands will often partner to gauge consumer interest and share costs before rolling out a full-scale collection or product line. 

Case in point: Gelato Messina. Before opening a new location, these Aussie ice cream superstars will often collab to build local buzz around a limited-time pop-up to validate a market or new location. 

This creates a sense of urgency and excitement around the product that drives customer feedback and most importantly, a sales uplift. 

This tactic has also been deployed by Heinz x Absolut’s Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce. We wouldn’t be surprised if this limited-edition product becomes a staple on supermarket shelves.

Reposition your brand through thoughtful collabs

For brands wanting to revamp their offering, a well-timed collab can be key to shifting consumer perception.  

Odette Barry, founder of Hack Your Own PR and Jess Ruhfus, founder of Collabosaurus. Source: Supplied

In this example, Heinz is able to leverage the ‘cool factor’ of Absolut, while Absolut is able to leverage the visibility and familiarity of Heinz.

Consider where you want to take your brand in the future, and who you want to be speaking to, when determining brands that might be a good fit. It will take courage to step away from the status quo but as we’re likely to see with Heinz x Absolut, it’s worth it.  

Plan your media in advance 

When planning your collab, consider seeding the idea with key media outlets that you want to be featured in and get their feedback. If they think it’s fun, interesting or worth a story, chances are it’s a good idea. 

Create a shortlist of key media that you want to send the announcement to, and give them at least 2 – 3 weeks’ warning so you have time to follow up for a timely news piece. 

You’ll need to ensure your collaboration is relevant to the outlets that you want to appear in and your pitches are tailored with unique angles that suit their audience. i.e If you’re a B2B brand, don’t expect lifestyle media to cover your collab. 

Amplify each brand through multiple channels

Each time you collaborate, you DOUBLE your marketing channels. Consider this a friendly reminder to make the most of that opportunity. 

Coordinate the launch so each brand is equally distributed across each of its core assets. Create a dedicated landing page for the collab (the Absolut landing page is complete with cocktail recipes, downloadable, and cheeky brand messaging) and cross-promote to each brand’s email lists, social channels, PR, events, and podcasts. 

You might even explore large-scale ATL options such as outdoor advertising. It’s not as crazy as you might think. One very cleverly placed, eye-catching billboard could be just what you need to get tongues wagging.

Create ‘right now moments’ for media 

While it’s not always easy to attract global media attention, a limited-time release that harnesses a quirky trend is a fantastic media hook. 

Currently if you search “Heinz Absolut” in Google News, 693 news mentions show up.

Create ‘right now moments’ that give the media a reason to offer up coveted press coverage to your brand. Keep in mind: 

• Most media outlets want to tap into the zeitgeist. Trending topics or issues that are going viral on TikTok, or in the broader media landscape, offer great platforms to launch your collaboration into the news cycle.
• The media love high-profile people or celebrities that dramatically increase sales. After all, in the case of Heinz x Absolute, if they didn’t leverage Gigi’s Tiktok, it may not have gotten off the ground. 
• Don’t plan too far in advance. Move quickly and respond to what is happening right now. Unlike Heinz and Absolut, small businesses don’t have the luxury of being slow to react to a trend. These are ‘blink and miss’ opportunities. 

Planned well, brand collaborations are a fun and engaging way to create brand buzz. And if Heinz x Absolut is anything to go by, there are endless opportunities to partner with the brand of your dreams.