Chances are you know someone who reads product labels while eating, especially when eating alone. It’s natural to be curious about what you eat. I’ve seen people engrossed in that kind of reading. H.J. Heinz Company knows a thing or two about interacting with its customers through a label.

Although Heinz tomato ketchup has been around since 1875, it’s still a staple on the tables of your favorite diners and fast food places, and chances are in your refrigerator. In fact, the product is so well known, that it might running the risk of being taken for granted - part of the décor. Many of us are passionate consumers of the famed ketchup. You might not be surprised to learn that Heinz receives letters and emails from its customers.

Do you remember a while back the “Talking Label” campaign? How about the “Say something Ketchuppy” contest? I do, they were both fun initiatives that featured catchy phrases and quotes on the product’s most prized real estate - the labels. What better vehicle for a viral campaign than this already visible (and famous) space? If you’re like me, for some items, you pay attention to the label.

Heinz was at it again last year with a “Top This TV” online contest. They allowed customers to enter videos submissions of a TV ad - the winner would take a spot in the 2007 Emmy Awards. Linking the site to YouTube for submission was a good step to popularize the contest. And that it did.

The Winner

Who won the first prize? “Heinz the Kissable Ketchup” by Andrew Dodson of Wheelersburg, Ohio was aired during the Emmies and Andrew got to take home the $57,000 prize. Four runner-ups took each $5,700 each in prize money and got to brag about their spots being aired during The Today’s Show. That is 5 people selected from over 6,000 entries resulting in 10 million online views – about 120,000 hours of people interacting with the brand, according to Smith Brothers Advertising, the agency that worked on the campaign.

Heinz picked a smart time frame to run the contest – the Fourth of July week-end. Ready with your ketchup bottles?

The Results

Base volume growth was about 4% and according to Heinz North America, sales have gone up by 13% year-over-year after the campaign was over. The contest was so successful, that Heinz repeated it with “Take 2″ in December 2007.

Now, could you pass me the ketchup? Or maybe we should say could you pass it on?