If you’ve ever used Heinz ketchup — and you probably have — you’re familiar with the number 57.
It’s right there on the label: “57 varieties.”
But what exactly does that mean? According to CNN, the answer is nothing.
When the slogan was introduced in 1896, Heinz did not have 57 varieties of anything.
Nor is that the case now. The company has hundreds of varieties of its products. So what gives?
Basically, Heinz misled customers when it introduced its numerical slogan, and it sticks with the “57 varieties” designation as a means of enhancing the nostalgia factor for a long-time brand.
As the story goes, H.J. Heinz, described by a biographer as a “marketing genius,” spotted an ad for “21 styles” of shoes at a New York store.
He liked that gimmick and decided attaching a number to his own brand would be equally striking.
Heinz’s brand director, Ashleigh Gibson, told CNN that the company’s founder settled on the number 57 because it was “mystical, magical and memorable” — a combination of his own lucky number (5) and his wife’s (7).
“58 Varieties or 59 Varieties did not appeal at all to me as being equally strong,” Heinz says in his biography.
Whether that’s true or not, there’s no question that “57 varieties” is one of the longest-lasting slogans in U.S. corporate history.
After all this time, who cares if it’s meaningless?