How many people are there willing to spend the time and energy required to produce an enjoyable 30-second commercial? Heinz will tell you quite a few.
When several advertisers made waves this year with user-generated advertising contests for spots that would run during the Super Bowl, some people questioned whether user-generated advertising would work. Dorito's put a stake in the ground when its contest produced a winner that was very funny, despite its $1000 production costs and last minute entry.
Since then there have been other companies with no such luck like the controversial Malibu Caribbean Rum contest that had less than 100 qualified entrants despite a $25,000 prize.
Heinz, though, seems to have gotten it right. Offering $57,000 for the winner and exposure on the Primetime Emmy Awards, they received 8000 submissions. Its worth a few minutes to view the 15 semi-finalists Heinz Top This TV Challenge website. The field was strong enough that Heinz also showed the 4 runner-ups on NBC's Today Show this morning. (The runner-ups received $5,700).
The winner, "Heinz: The Kissable Ketchup" by Andrew Dodson, is cute but not my favorite. I think "Heinz Worldwide" by Jeremiah Jones is wonderful with a good beat and an international flavor.
Having played with claymation in high-school I'm partial to animation, which several entrants used. "Heinz Always sunnyside up" by Michael Thelin is pleasant and "Uncap the smile" by Joseph Garner does a wonderful job of integrating CGI into a "Toy Story" like scene. "Heinz 'Moments' Competition" by Robert Castillo has a great story but seems like a 45 second spot crammed into 30 seconds by the time its finished.
It's less clear what the ROI will be for Heinz. To get the results they did took much more than $80,000 in prize money. They had an extensive demand generating campaign with in-store promotions, announcements on packaging and an on-line and off-line advertising campaign.
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