Heinz promotes Salad Cream

Heinz is hoping to make Salad Cream the UK’s number one table sauce, ahead of its own Tomato Ketchup and Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, following the brand’s &£10m relaunch.

Annual sales of Salad Cream stand at &£25m – but Heinz director of European Sauces Stefan Barden says the brand will be axed if the figure doesn’t double by 2005.

Barden says: “Salad Cream is in the last chance saloon. We will review it on a yearly basis and if it doesn’t make any money, it will go.”

Salad Cream was saved following a public outcry when Heinz revealed it was considering killing it off last year. The brand is being targeted at “twentysomething” consumers through an integrated marketing campaign, consisting of an interactive Website, sponsored comedy tour and new TV, press and radio ads.

Salad Cream bottles have also been redesigned and the price increased from 59p to 99p for a 285g bottle.

The TV ads, which break on April 3, have been created by Leo Burnett, with media through Starcom Motive. They carry the strapline “Any food tastes supreme with Heinz Salad Cream”. One of the TV ads, called Pizza, shows a young man using Heinz Salad Cream to revive a day-old slice of pizza found stuck to his bedclothes.

If the campaign is a success, Barden says that Heinz will target the European market and even consider launching Salad Cream in the US.