Heinz, the famous ketchup brand, is tapping into the world of tattoos by developing a red tattoo pigment in its official Pantone shade. The Brazilian creative agency Soko is collaborating with Heinz to create an ink that is safe and uses only non-harmful ingredients. This move comes in response to health concerns over color tattoo pigments, with the EU banning over 4,000 chemicals from being used in tattoos in 2022.
The new ink called Heinz Tattoo Ink has been under development for the past 14 months and will be distributed to tattoo parlors throughout Brazil once it is ready for release. The brand hopes to engage with a behavior already found in the brand’s community, with Heinz fans already getting tattoos with the brand and its products.
Heinz has also partnered with Electric Ink to develop the safe Ketchup red tattoo ink for its fans. In addition, Heinz has asked five leading Brazilian tattoo artists to create a total of 57 original Heinz tattoo stencils, which vary in style and approach. The stencils are available on the Heinz website for anyone interested in what the brand calls “an official Heinz tattoo.”
“We see this as a double opportunity because with this new feature, we not only bring new ways to get a Heinz tattoo through an incredible curation of artists, but we also offer an ink that is being developed with the same care in which we choose our ingredients and make our ketchup,” said Thiago Stelle, Heinz Brazil brand leader.
Heinz Tattoo Ink is a perfect example of a brand embracing its loyal community and engaging with them in an innovative and unique way. It will be interesting to see how this product launch is received and if other brands follow suit.