Title: How French's ketchup took a bite out of Heinz | CBC News
Headings: How French's ketchup took a bite out of Heinz
How French's ketchup took a bite out of Heinz
Free publicity, plus a decent price, has allowed French's to gain ground at Heinz's expense
How did French's do it?
Taste and price matter, too
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Content: How French's ketchup took a bite out of Heinz | CBC News
Business · Analysis
How French's ketchup took a bite out of Heinz
French's sustained success in Canada is likely due to a combination of ingredients, including continuous free publicity and a Canadian-made ketchup that also offers a taste and price consumers find palatable. Social Sharing
Free publicity, plus a decent price, has allowed French's to gain ground at Heinz's expense
Sophia Harris · CBC News · Posted: Apr 20, 2019 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: April 20, 2019
Joanne Duguay, of Bathurst, N.B., switched to French's ketchup in 2016 after learning about its Canadian connection in a social media post. ( Joanne Duguay)
Just before barbecue season ignites, Heinz ketchup has launched a new TV ad to woo Canadians. The commercial climaxes with the brand smothering a lonely plate of fries to the tune of What About Love by Heart. But the ad may not be enough to win back the hearts of Canadians who left Heinz a few years ago, angered by its decision to move its ketchup manufacturing operations from Leamington, Ont., to the U.S.
Many defectors turned to a relative newcomer to the ketchup scene, French's, which promised to use only Canadian-grown tomatoes. French's customers have remained loyal, allowing the brand to take a bite out of Heinz's stranglehold on the Canadian ketchup market — a notable feat, considering Heinz has been selling ketchup in Canada for more than a century. "Condiments are intrinsically linked to attitudes and habits," said Sylvain Charlebois, a professor at Halifax's Dalhousie University who specializes in food distribution and policy.