Mad Men becomes reality

Mad Men: the quintessential television series about the world of advertising. Now, who would have thought that instead of just documenting the industry glory days, Donald Draper would now impact the current climate. Well, thanks to Heinz, this is now a reality. Heinz revealed a new brand campaign today Pass the Heinz that was, in fact, thought up for the show.

Donald Draper presented his controversial idea to his Heinz clients 50 years ago and, unfortunately, they didn’t particularly like it. Why not? Well, the ads didn’t show the product and, back in those days, this was simply a no-go and far too extreme and contentious for a popular brand like Heinz. Disappointed, Draper argued that this was the beauty of the campaign and a testament to the product: you can advertise your product without even needing to show it to the consumer. Sadly, the clients were not swayed and the idea was pushed to the side and forgotten. However, finally, 50 years later, the Heinz clients have given the go-ahead and approved the concept.    

Now, of course, the above is all fictional and the idea was never presented to Heinz, however, what’s fun about the press around this new campaign is that everyone involved seems to be pretending it isn’t. Anselmo Ramos, Chief Creative Officer of the lead agency David, confirmed he’d recently been out for a couple of Old Fashioneds with Draper to discuss the mechanicals from the original campaign. Additionally, Nicole Kulwicki, Head of Heinz brand, added that even back then Draper fully understood the one thing Heinz fans know: never settle for your favourite foods without the great taste of Heinz and it was thanks to this insight that the campaign remains very relevant in this day and age.

Defictionalising an advert presented in a TV show is potentially a world-first for the ad industry and it looks as if Heinz have nailed it. What’s more, collaborating with the most famous fictional agency and Creative Director that have ever existed must have been pretty fun for all those involved.

Check out the billboards below, which will appear in New York soon. What’s more, click here to watch Draper presenting the idea back in the day (apologies for the video quality but it gives you an idea).