Heinz’s Kendrick-inspired ‘Mustard’ campaign was inevitable in hindsight

Following rapper Kendrick Lamar's Grammy win, Heinz launched a perfectly timed Grammy campaign in collaboration with its famous sauce’s DJ namesake.

The campaign, ‘Mustard x Mustard’, is a collaboration between Heinz and the renowned hip-hop producer DJ Mustard, who worked with Kendrick Lamar on his recent album ‘GMX’, as well as his infamous Grammy-winning diss track ‘Not Like Us’.

There was a sense of inevitability to the tie-in. DJ Mustard is a stage name inspired by the producer’s real name: Dijon Isaiah McFarlane (geddit?). His name was already the subject of an organic meme on social media in which people would yell “MUSTAAAAAARD” to the sound of any one of Lamar’s Mustard-produced jams.

Heinz’s campaign involved collaboration with agencies, including Cashmere for creative content, Carat for paid media, and Zeno for public relations. It kicked off with a commercial that aired during the Grammy Awards, featuring DJ Mustard and a catchy tagline imitating Kendrick Lamar's famous ad-lib.

In the ad, Heinz and DJ Mustard introduce a special edition sauce, marking the first national mustard innovation for the company in nearly a decade.

The new sauce, developed by DJ Mustard and Heinz's research and development team, promised to bring a fresh and exciting flavour to the market.

DJ Mustard also appears to have a genuine love of cooking and has been known to use Heinz products since childhood. Indeed, he famously carried a diamond-encrusted Heinz Mustard chain.

In addition to the new sauce, DJ Mustard took on the role of ‘Chief Mustard Officer’, where he will remix exclusive recipes, host events throughout the year, and more.

Our take

The Heinz campaign is surprising only in that it's a little late to the plate. The Grammy’s, however, are well timed to coincide with peak ‘Mustard-fever’.

Better late than never, the brand has gone all in with a new product, a catchy commercial, and a roster of spin-off events. Of course, given that Kendrick was recently locked into a high-profile rap ‘beef’ with Drake, the campaign is likely to divide the hip-hop demographic.

But what better condiment to complement a slice of beef than a portion of Mustard?