Heinz x Absolut (2023): collab pasta sauce sells out, lifts range sales 52%

After 150 years Heinz finally launched its first pasta sauce for Britain with the 'Ridiculously Late, Ridiculously Good' platform; a year later it wanted to reignite buzz around the new category. Absolut, the UK's No.1 premium vodka, needed fresh occasions, while TikTok's Penne alla Vodka trend — revived by Gigi Hadid — made the answer obvious.

Marry TikTok's viral Penne alla Vodka to two icons: a limited-edition Heinz x Absolut vodka pasta sauce in the style of Absolut's legendary 1980s bottle prints.

On 22 March 2023 Heinz and Absolut put the UK's first vodka tomato pasta sauce in major supermarkets, supported by London out-of-home ads (Leicester Square, Westfield, Old Street, tube and rail stations) and #AbsolutelyHeinz social posts. Print executions — 'Absolutely Tomato', 'Absolutely Pasta', 'Absolutely Foodie' — paid homage to Absolut's 1980s ad campaigns, and 150 food nano- and micro-influencers received free jars to seed the conversation.

The sauce sold out within days and drew over 500M earned impressions across 900+ media titles in 30+ countries; #AbsolutelyHeinz passed 6.6M views on TikTok. It moved about 50 units per store per week versus a typical 7, doubled projected sales, and lifted Heinz's entire pasta sauce range by 52%.

In March 2023, Heinz — which had entered UK pasta sauce only a year earlier, after 150 years of making tomato products — joined Absolut Vodka to launch the UK's first vodka tomato pasta sauce as a limited edition. The partnership rode TikTok's Penne alla Vodka trend, which model Gigi Hadid had made viral, and was advertised in the visual language of Absolut's famous 1980s print campaigns.

Wunderman Thompson España created executions such as 'Absolutely Tomato', 'Absolutely Pasta' and 'Absolutely Foodie', echoing Absolut's iconic bottle ads. The 22 March launch combined London out-of-home (Leicester Square, Westfield, Old Street, tube and rail stations) with #AbsolutelyHeinz social activity, while 150 food nano- and micro-influencers received free jars to seed the conversation.

The response was immediate: the hashtag passed 6.6M views on TikTok, the limited run sold out within days, and the campaign earned over 500M impressions across more than 900 media titles in over 30 countries. The sauce reportedly moved about 50 units per store per week versus a typical seven, doubled projected sales, and lifted the whole Heinz pasta sauce range by 52%.

The partnership itself was the story: two century-old icons from different categories created a product people wanted to taste, photograph and share.

It plugged into a live cultural moment — TikTok's Penne alla Vodka — rather than inventing a new one.

Borrowing Absolut's 1980s print legacy gave the launch instantly recognizable craft, nostalgia and wit.

Limited-edition scarcity plus earned media turned a supermarket sauce into an event.

An unexpected partnership between two heritage brands, dressed in one partner's iconic visual legacy, turns a product launch into culture — the scarcity and earned buzz do the selling.

Heinz called the tie-up its biggest partnership in five years. The case won the 2023 Marketing Week Award for Sponsorship and Partner Marketing, and in June 2024 took the Global Grand Prix for Partnerships & Sponsorships at the WARC Awards for Effectiveness, where the jury praised it as a prime example of effective collaboration. It also gave Absolut a new consumption occasion and became a reference case for cross-category brand collaborations.