This Christmas, the world’s most loved ketchup invites Southeast Asia to wait just a little longer for the taste that’s worth celebrating.
Bangkok / Manila, November 2025 — Heinz is elevating the Christmas table to a new level of taste and heart with “It’s Heinz Season” its first-ever regional campaign created by BBDO Bangkok and BBDO Guerrero, launching simultaneously in Thailand and the Philippines.
This collaboration marks a milestone for the global iconic ketchup brand uniting two of Southeast Asia’s most creative markets under one story that captures the region’s passion for food and the emotional bond people share with Heinz.
The Insight: When Food Becomes a Matter of Pride
In Thailand and the Philippines, food isn’t just a meal it’s a national obsession.
People take authenticity seriously. Every bite has to be worth their pride.
And if it doesn’t taste right, they’d rather not eat at all.
Especially during Christmas, when Western dishes dominate the table, true food lovers refuse to start eating unless there’s Heinz. That’s not just food preference “It’s irrational love”.
Because nothing replaces the thick, rich, red with the irresistibly authentic taste of Heinz.
The Idea: True Love Waits
The campaign is built on a simple but powerful insight: for true Heinz lovers, a meal especially Christmas dinner doesn’t start until Heinz arrives.
The film unfolds in a warm, festive family home on Christmas Eve. The table is beautifully set, filled with the kind of dishes that define a Southeast Asian celebration of Western taste: home-made sausages, hand-cut fries, crispy spring rolls (lumpia), grilled Filipino barbecue on sticks, fresh salad, and a home-made pizza that looks perfectly imperfect golden, and full of love.
The family holding hands to say grace. The prayer ends. But no one moves.
Not a fork lifts, not a sound of chewing. Only the faint ticking of a clock echoes through the room. Eyes dart across the table. Heads nod in silence. Something or someone is missing.
The camera slowly pans to an empty chair, teasing the audience with the mystery. Then, the doorbell rings. The family’s faces light up. They rush to the door, cheering and laughing as the older son walks in. Everyone hugs him tightly. It feels like the emotional reunion they’ve been waiting for.
But then comes the reveal as the mother reaches into her son’s bag and pulls out a bottle of Heinz Ketchup.
That’s when the truth hits: they weren’t waiting for him. They were waiting for Heinz, the ketchup that’s worth the wait.
The moment the ketchup touches the food, time seems to slow. We see the rich, thick, red Heinz ketchup spreading across the hand-cut fries, dripping onto grilled barbecue sticks, covering the homemade pizza, and glistening over golden spring rolls.
The tension breaks into joy. Laughter fills the room. Glasses clink. Plates move. Christmas has finally begun.
Because for those who truly love food, the season doesn’t start until there’s Heinz.
A First for the Region
This marks the first collaboration between Heinz – South, South east Asia and Hong Kong, BBDO Bangkok, and BBDO Guerrero, and the first time Heinz has launched a unified through the line campaign across two Southeast Asian markets.
The work combines Thai charm and Filipino warmth with Heinz’s global aesthetic, appetizing, witty, and young-at-heart.
Somkiat Larptanunchaiwong, CEO of BBDO Bangkok, added: “Heinz is a brand with a global creative legacy, and this collaboration proves that regional storytelling can be just as powerful. By uniting the cultural truth of two foodie nations, we created a campaign that feels both proudly local and unmistakably Heinz.”
David Guerrero, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of BBDO Guerrero, said: “Christmas is a time of coming together. And we are delighted to have worked together with Heinz and our colleagues in BBDO Bangkok to uncover the shared cultural truth that a meal isn’t complete until everyone is there – and especially if that someone is bringing the Heinz.”
Kittinai Viputthikul, Head of Regional Marketing, South, Southeast Asia and Hong Kong at Heinz, said: “This campaign is a landmark for Heinz in Southeast Asia. It’s the first time we’ve united our markets with one story that truly reflects who we are globally iconic, but locally loved. Heinz has always stood for authenticity, and this Christmas, we’re showing how that love for taste brings people together.”
A Taste That Starts a Movement
“True Love Waits” marks the beginning of a new creative era for Heinz in Southeast Asia — one that celebrates not only the brand’s unmistakable taste but also the people who refuse to settle for anything less.
With Thailand and the Philippines leading the way, Heinz is set to make every meal, every celebration, and every moment worth the wait.