From an ordinary life in Hamburg, Germany, Thomas Heinz has become a human billboard for Heinz Arabia and has found himself at the center of arguably the biggest non-advertising advertising stunt of the season.
He was approached by Heinz Arabia to attend football’s biggest event on behalf of the brand through this cheeky yet impactful stunt that’s successfully getting the Heinz name inside the stadium and around the premises. Rather than spending on traditional advertising, Heinz Arabia turned to the social community and found one of the thousands of people named Heinz who can represent the iconic brand and hijack the football conversation.
Thomas is dressed in red and white, hidden in the crowd, and he’s calling on football fans to find him. Heinz is becoming the most searched-for name of the season. A stunt reminiscent of the classic ‘Where’s Waldo?’ series is transforming Doha into a giant treasure hunt for visitors. Along with a grand prize worth QR 10,000, Thomas Heinz is also offering exclusive merchandise. “I never thought my name would go viral. I mean, I’ve been referred to as Heinz Ketchup pretty often as a joke. But this… this is really something else. This is real. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience,” said Thomas.
Commenting on the campaign, Anis Zantout, Regional Head of Digital, said, “The team at FP7, with the support of Heinz Arabia, believed in the magnitude of the idea from the very beginning. We found ways to generate cheeky yet impactful content that’s hijacking the conversation around the season as we speak – in a way that is truly unique to the Heinz brand. We also partnered with VUZ, 360-degree VR specialists who are currently documenting his journey and transforming it into an immersive streaming experience that removes all physical barriers, enabling fans to follow Thomas Heinz directly through the app, which gives them higher chances of finding him to win the many prizes we have to offer. And fans are loving it!”
