Baked beans. The quintessential food in every British household. And rightly so, they’re frickin’ delicious.
Most of us are familiar with Heinz’s or Maurice Drake’s infamous beer-and-sandwich-infused tagline, “Beanz Meanz Heinz” from 1967. But we’re less familiar with other baked bean advertising. So today we’re going to look at one that caught my eye from the 1992 D&AD annual. One that I think is beautifully executed and seemingly played a small role in what looks like a great campaign from the early ’90s. (The 1992 and 93 annuals are full of similar Heinz ads).
We’ll look at the copy, the main ‘lever’, and the impact of illustration. But first, let’s give credit.
Who’s behind the ad?
Copywriter: Loz Simpson | Art Director: Gerard Stamp | Illustrator: Robin Heighway-Bury | Client: H J Heinz Company Limited | Agency: BSB Dorland | Year: 1992
The Copy
Now, there’s not much copy to analyse. 8 words, in fact: “Only four people in Britain know the recipe.”
Short it might be, but full of beans it is. Let’s see what’s going on.
It’s relevant
First, notice the use of “Britain”. This adds relevancy (vs ’17 people in the world’, for example) – and relevancy helps to hold interest and give the message more meaning.
It builds on existing knowledge
Like a lot of brandvertising, it understands you’ve probably heard of Heinz before. So they respect your knowledge and build on it, reinforcing their reputation and your existing brand associations.
It speaks to the right brain
Now, if you looked at the copy and took it literally, you could argue it’s a little bland. “Oh, four people know your recipe. Err… cool?…”
But only half our brain takes things literally. The other half works with the bigger picture and understands hidden messages. And it’s here where the ad’s magic happens.
Side note: Meat, potatoes (and beans)
Nobody likes to be told what to do. And even fewer like to be told what to buy. So, the best persuasion puts you, the reader, in the driver’s seat. It makes you feel in control and that you’re deciding for yourself – not being coaxed into it by some pesky ad.
Whilst a friendly (direct) nudge is often useful, the meat and potatoes of persuasion should come from the implicit – and a careful message strategist.
Our ad, here, is a wonderful example. Back to the analysis.
Spilling the beans on implicit exclusivity
So, yes, the left hemisphere might see the copy as a bit bland. But the right hemisphere sees the real message behind the copy – and helps to produce the psychological response to the ad’s main persuasive lever: exclusivity.
Merriam-Webster defines ‘exclusive’ as: “limiting or limited to possession, control, or use by a single individual or group”. And its effects on us and our behaviour are deep-rooted.
We want what we can’t have, and generally speaking, the harder it is to attain, the more we want it. This leads us to put more value into something exclusive (to almost justify our heightened desire for it). So, we tend to equate exclusivity with better quality.
If we get our hands on something exclusive, we become part of a ‘special exclusive group’. And everyone wants to feel special. So this motivates us too.
The heightened desire, value and motivation help mould our perceptions and associations with Heinz Baked Beans, meaning we’re more likely to buy them in the future.
Exclusivity: One step removed
Usually, exclusivity sits with limited access (i.e. fewer available cans), but here the exclusivity and its meaning sit further back.
They create an aura of secrecy around the recipe, and our auto-response is to assume they’re not sharing the recipe for a reason (that people want it because it’s so good). This only further fuels our hunger for them.
It works like implied social proof and triggers our desire to be part of the special group that gets to taste the beans only four people know the recipe to.
Exclusivity: An implied difference
The genuine differences between baked bean businesses are few and far between. Arguably, the biggest would be the sauce (or recipe). And if you went down the route of ingredients and flavour to one-up your competitors, you’ll have to work harder to evoke some imagery (and not give away any secrets).
“A little bit of water, a handful of sugar, a splash of spirit Vinegar, a sprinkling of salt, cornflour and then spice and herb extracts…”
That’s not to say it’s impossible to cultivate something vivid. Definitely not. But there is an easier way…
Assume the reader already knows how good your recipe is.
Now, granted, this is a perk of being the size of Heinz and having the reputation they do. A confident play like this wouldn’t work the same if a new business said it.
But I shared earlier how we often equate exclusivity with higher quality. Well, this is it in action. It’s all implied, letting you persuade yourself and whilst simultaneously demoting the competition.
The Art
Okay, lastly, the art. Product illustrations seem less popular than they were (there are a lot in the 80s-00s D&AD annuals). So it stands out more today than it might have done 30+ years ago.
Now, we can and should appreciate the craft of the illustration here. It talks to the “art over science” in me. It’s warm, friendly and comfortable to look at. These feelings influence our associations.
But I think there’s a clever art direction quirk at play too.
Reader respect
“Brand assets” is a popular term in advertising (i.e. the logo, design, characters, etc). Or rather a brand’s distinctive assets.
But, nowadays, they’re often followed by reader disrespect. Because, whilst brand managers think the brand assets need to be shown clearly (and frankly, overpower an ad), they don’t. Your reader has a brain. Let them use it. Because if they do, you both win. And I’ll explain why.
You see, from an evolutionary perspective, anything we can process quickly is deemed less of a threat (because we’ve likely experienced it before). This reduces cognitive load, which, in turn, makes it easier for us to make a decision. Because, despite what you might think, our goal as advertisers or marketers isn’t to increase consideration but to reduce it. We need quick, intuitive decision-making so friction doesn’t interfere. Consistent use of brand assets accomplishes this.
Brnd ssts
But this ad goes further, and McDonald’s did something similar here with their arches and eyebrows.
Notice how the iconic can design is only partially visible (vs a typical front shot). This trains the mind to recognise elements of brand assets, so the existing associations come to mind faster. You could even argue that the illustration itself trains us in this too.
All in all, a brilliant ad. Now for some on toast.
For next time
So, there we go. Breakdown complete. Key takeaway? Sometimes you can send a message without saying it.
I hope you enjoyed reading it all. If you did, consider signing up to my newsletter here. It’s free, comes every two weeks or so and has extra subscriber-only insights. (This time, existing subscribers saw the other Heinz ads in the 1992 and 1993 D&AD annuals).
Some other ad breakdowns you might enjoy: Land Rover’s “Steve” | Volvo’s “Drive it like you hate it” | Chivas Regal’s “When”
