Heinz, owned by Kraft Heinz since the 2015 merger, has become one of the most-studied CPG brands running in-game activation. Recent activations across The Sims, Halloween-tied horror franchises, and esports partnerships have brought the 150+ year-old ketchup brand a younger audience without compromising the legacy positioning. The wider category — Wendy's in Fortnite, Burger King in Twitch's Stevenage Challenge, Chipotle in Roblox, Gucci in Roblox — has made gaming a credible CPG and QSR brand-building surface alongside TV and digital.
The fact block
Heinz parent: Kraft Heinz, formed by the 2015 Kraft–Heinz Foods merger
Heinz founded: 1869 in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania by Henry J. Heinz
Heinz ketchup market share: approximately 60% of US ketchup sales
Heinz Tomato Blood: Halloween activation, partnership with horror-game franchises and Twitch creators
Heinz Eternal Ketchup: esports-aligned activation playing on competitive-gaming culture
Wendy's Fortnite "Food Fight" (2018): Cannes Lions Grand Prix winner — Wendy's avatar destroying freezers in Durr Burger restaurants
Why Heinz built the playbook
One — younger audience access without TV ad spend. Gaming reaches Gen Z and younger Millennials with closer engagement than 30-second TV spots can match. Heinz's category share is already about 60%; the brief was reaching younger consumers, not capturing share from a rival.
Two — brand consistency. The Heinz keystone label, the iconic glass bottle, and the brand colors port directly into game environments without translation. The brand is graphically simple enough that it reads in low-resolution game art.
Three — earned media multiplier. Gaming activations get covered by Polygon, IGN, Kotaku, and Adweek. The earned media value compounds the paid placement cost in ways that standard digital cannot.
The five-step CPG in-game activation playbook
1. Pick the platform that fits the brand
The Sims user base skews older and more affluent than Roblox; Roblox makes sense for brands targeting younger audiences, like Chipotle's Roblox activations. Fortnite sits in between.
2. Make the activation native to the game
Native beats interruptive every time. In-game items players can actually use outperform banner-style overlays. The Wendy's Fortnite stream worked because the Wendy's avatar actually played the game.
3. Hire game-fluent creative
Activations of this kind require creative partners who understand gaming culture and modding communities, not just standard ad shops. The same applies to Burger King's Stevenage Challenge with David Schneider and to Chipotle's Roblox builds.
4. Coordinate with platform partners
Electronic Arts approves activations tied to its franchises. Epic Games approves Fortnite integrations. Roblox Corporation has a brand-partnerships unit. Going through official channels is now standard — guerrilla activations risk takedown and reputational damage.
5. Earn the press hit, then amplify
The activation is the news. The brand earns Adweek, Marketing Week, The Drum, and Polygon coverage; that coverage is the multiplier on the paid spend. Without the earned hit, in-game activations look like expensive niche bets.
The category context — who else runs the playbook
Wendy's Fortnite (2018) — the Cannes Lions Grand Prix winner that established the format. Wendy's avatar destroyed freezers in Durr Burger restaurants on a Twitch stream. Burger King's Stevenage Challenge — UK FIFA esports sponsorship that turned a small football club into a global FIFA brand. Chipotle Roblox "Burrito Builder" — Roblox experience timed to Boorito with free-burrito drops. Gucci Garden in Roblox (2021) — luxury fashion proof of concept, with virtual handbags resold for more than physical equivalents.
The bottom line
Heinz, Wendy's, Burger King, and Chipotle have made in-game activation a credible CPG and QSR brand-building lane. The discipline runs on five steps: pick the right platform, make the activation native, hire game-fluent creative, coordinate with platform partners, and earn the press hit. Brands that have not run an in-game activation are behind, not ahead.
Kraft Heinz, the company formed by the 2015 Kraft–Heinz Foods merger. Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital are the largest shareholders. Heinz was founded in 1869 by Henry J. Heinz in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania.
What was the Wendy's Fortnite campaign?
A 2018 Twitch stream where a Wendy's-branded avatar destroyed freezers in the Durr Burger restaurants inside Fortnite, dramatizing Wendy's "fresh, never frozen" positioning. Won the Cannes Lions Grand Prix in Social and Influencer and became the reference QSR in-game case.
How do CPG brands choose between Roblox, Fortnite, and The Sims?
Roblox skews younger; Fortnite skews Gen Z and young Millennials; The Sims skews older Millennials and Gen X. The brand picks a platform by target demographic and creative fit.
Why does in-game activation matter for CPG?
Gaming reaches younger consumers with deeper engagement than 30-second TV spots. Earned media coverage from gaming outlets (Polygon, IGN, Kotaku) plus adland trades (Adweek, Marketing Week) multiplies the paid placement cost.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
