According to its website, condiment giant Heinz sells 650 million bottles of ketchup every year and about two single-serve packets of ketchup for every man, woman, and child on the planet.
That's a lot of ketchup to go with your burgers and fries. Heinz Ketchup is pretty much a mixture of crushed tomatoes, salt, sugar, vinegar, and some seasonings. Nothing too over-the-top, which probably accounts for its popularity. Until now.
Heinz is getting fancy-schmancy on us. The ketchup kings have announced a
limited-edition variety that uses balsamic in place of white
vinegar.
Like many new products, Heinz is marketing the balsamic ketchup through Facebook.
On its fan page, the company proclaims that by using this new ketchup,
you'll get instant upscale classics. A hot dog turns into a haute dog. Hamburgers are hamburgeurs, and fries transform into frites.
What's
really interesting is that you can order a bottle of ketchup
online through Facebook. This is a relatively new way to use social media as
an instant purchase means.
The ketchup sells for $2.49 a
bottle. Shipping is free, and Facebook fans get a 25-cent discount and a
free packet of Heinz Balsamic to take with them (we never go anywhere
without our own ketchup).
Clean Plate Charlie just ordered our very own bottle. Mainly because we're suckers for inventive marketing. We'll keep you posted when it arrives. What about you? Are you jonesing for the new balsamic ketchup, or are you a purist when it comes to your condiments?
Follow Clean Plate Charlie on Facebook and on Twitter: @CleanPlateBPB
