The archive · Marketing & Growth · Marketing decision · 2021-2022
Heinz maps snack-safe hiding spots inside Call of Duty so gamers can eat
Since online games have no pause button, Heinz and top streamers mapped safe spots to snack inside Call of Duty, and the community added more in other games.
Heinz (Kraft Heinz)
What it had to solve
Online games have no pause button, and with 8 hours and 27 minutes of average gameplay, gamers hardly have time to eat. Heinz wanted to be part of gaming culture at the one moment a snack actually fits.
How it works
Online games do not have a pause button, so with 8 hours and 27 minutes of average gameplay, gamers hardly have time to eat. Heinz wanted a place in that culture without pulling players out of it.
The idea was to map the game itself: Heinz teamed up with top streamers to find and flag snack-safe zones in Call of Duty, hiding spots where a player can pause, seek safety and grab a snack without dying.
The community took over the idea, mapping their own snack-safe spots in other games. The campaign is archived by D&AD under Experiential: Activation & Participation as an example of fitting a food brand into play rather than interrupting it.
Why it lands
- Snack-safe zones answer a real friction of long gaming sessions instead of interrupting them with ads.
- Seeding the maps through top streamers gave the zones credibility inside gaming culture.
- Handing the map to the community let players extend the idea to other games on their own.
What it did
The mapped zones turned mealtime into part of the game itself, and the community's self-mapped spots in other games proved the idea was portable. The work entered D&AD's awards archive under Experiential: Activation & Participation.
What you can take
Rather than interrupt the behaviour you are chasing, find the safe pause inside it: Heinz gave gamers a reason to snack at the exact moment a game allows one.
Since then
The campaign ran around Call of Duty at the end of 2021 and was recognised in the D&AD Annual 2022, among other industry awards. The community-mapped extensions showed the mechanic could travel beyond one title.
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