Prepare, and Be Ready to Act (Smartly)

Good things happen when you prepare well and are ready to take advantage as events unfold. One of my favorite sayings is:

• Luck is when preparation meets opportunity (credited to the Roman philosopher Seneca).

Preparation is a criterion for success in business, especially for marketers. The best are ready to act, adapt, change and adjust as needed, guided by solid business and marketing strategies, and a firm grasp of their brand and product positioning.

Being ready usually means you’ve put yourself/your team/your company in a position to be successful. This includes fostering a cross-functional, collaborative, day-to-day working environment; understanding customers and competitors; and encouraging constructive, yet rigorous discussion about the best ways to drive profitable business growth.

Here’s a new “always be ready” example: how preparation, based on practical marketing discipline, combined with the ability to move quickly, led to positive, genuine action for a major brand. It’s a merging of celebrity pop culture, pro football, and business.

First, the backdrop.
Kraft Heinz sells a product called Kranch Saucy Sauce, which is a mix of “the rich taste of ketchup with the creamy texture of ranch.”

Second, the plot.
You may have heard there’s a potential romance between entertainer Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, who is a Pro Bowl and All-Pro tight end for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce was also the star of a reality dating series called “Catching Kelce.”

Taylor Swift attended the Chiefs third game of the season in Kansas City on September 24th. A fan account owner (outside the U.S.) saw and then posted this photo with their own creative message to social media, which has been viewed 33 million times:

Third, the action.
The Kraft Heinz marketing team, prepared and ready to seize an opportunity that fit with their brand, did just that. They rapidly rebranded their Kranch product to “Ketchup and Seemingly Ranch.”

In about 48 hours, “Heinz’s social channels posted a picture of the “new” product, calling it a “new era” for the brand and pledging to make 100 of the bottles available to consumers. The number was determined by combining Swift’s lucky number (13) and Kelce’s jersey number (#87).”

You may say, So What? Well, a top job of marketers is to keep their products and services fresh and relevant in ways that are appropriate and meaningful to customers (that typically is good for sales and profits). This is an excellent example of speed with substance, plus a little fun, all on-strategy and on-target with the brand/product.

Will they sell more Kranch sauce? Will they sell more ketchup? Will they sell more of the other Heinz-branded products? Maybe. Maybe not. Is the marketing activity positive for the Heinz brand? Definitely.

No matter the financial impact, this was an authentic brand marketing action that generated a tremendous amount of positive earned media coverage and social media activity. The Heinz limited edition product promotion fit the brand, unlike some other companies and products where the connection was a stretch and it seemed they were just trying to find a way to exploit the moment.