HEINZ Offers Football Fans 57-Cent Change Fees for Miami-Bound Flights

My post title is the title of the press release. That’s saying something. First, because press release title-writing generally tends to suck…and go on for a paragraph(s). Second, because that jumbled word vomit is usually a result of there not being an idea good/simple enough to easily communicate.

This one bucks the trend. I love it. Frankly, I don’t really have to tell anyone a whole lot more. You get it. Anyone can get it. That’s the point. But, just in case you’re operating at a slower speed today, here’s the idea articulated along with its tactical execution:

Starting Monday, January 20 at 8 p.m. EST, fans can visit www.Heinz57FlightChange.com to enter for a chance to have HEINZ cover the change fees to re-route your Miami-bound flight to a destination of your choice for just 57 cents*…

HEINZ wants fans to know that a team out of the running for the big game doesn’t have to mean all hope is lost. There’s always HEINZ to bring some goodness to any moment, even the football playoffs.

Brilliant. PR at its purest. Why exactly do I like it? Let me count the ways:

• Insight-driven: Heinz is going after football fans, and even spending big with a mega commercial during the Super Bowl. This idea is predicated on a real thing that happens with true fans. Playing the “should we book or not” game and deciding whether to roll the dice.

• Attention-grabbing: Even if you don’t get football or the NFL playoffs, almost everyone can relate to the stop-and-make-you-think power of a 57-cent airline change fee. They don’t happen. Ever.

• Timely: Heinz is banking big on football. How to build news before The Big Game where there is no news? This is brilliant. It also lends itself to a second wave storytelling opportunities around the fan bases of the losers from Sunday’s Conference Championship games, as well as individuals.

• “Cheap”: No, I don’t know what potential spend could be and how this all works with the airlines. I know that part of the deal is that fans first need to sign up and “If eligible, you’ll be entered for a chance to win $199.34 to cover the fees.” There is method to this madness.

I like the simple visual that accompanies the effort as well.

Smart, smart, smart. Well done, 5-7.