The best food and beverage marketing and PR campaigns tie a creative idea to a sales number. Magnum's Find Your Summer campaign reported a 38.9% sales uplift during the UK winter, according to WARC's 2025 Awards for Effectiveness. This guide compares five campaigns with published results, one cautionary case, and the pattern 5W sees across them.
Last updated: October 24, 2026. Results are as reported by awards programs and case studies, not independently audited.
In this guide
- Which food and beverage campaigns have published results?
- Which food and drink campaign is best for each goal?
- How did Magnum sell ice cream in winter?
- How did Heinz turn fan devotion into sales?
- What did Michelob ULTRA and Ziploc add?
- What does a cautionary food and beverage campaign look like?
- What do the winning campaigns have in common?
- What should a campaign leave behind for AI search?
- What does 5W's own food and beverage work cover?
- Frequently asked questions
Which food and beverage campaigns have published results?
Five food and beverage campaigns from 2020 to 2026 have published results: Magnum, Heinz in two separate efforts, Michelob ULTRA, and Ziploc. The table lists each campaign's year, lead tactic, and reported result.
| Campaign | Year | Lead tactic | Reported result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnum, "Find Your Summer" | 2025 | Selling ice cream in winter | 38.9% winter sales uplift, the brand's best season |
| Heinz, "It Has to Be Heinz" | 2024 | Building on fans' existing devotion to the brand | 12% global ketchup sales growth a year since 2019; 3.2 share points regained |
| Heinz and Absolut, "Absolutely Heinz" | 2024 | A vodka pasta sauce launched with influencers and journalists first | 57% sales uplift; 1 billion total impressions in the UK |
| Michelob ULTRA, "Courtside" | 2020 | Reinventing live sports viewing at home | 32% year-over-year sales growth; 13 billion impressions |
| Ziploc, "Preserved Promos" | 2026 | Redeeming expired food coupons | 5% unit sales growth; 540,000 new buyers |
Read each figure as the result the brand and its agency submitted to an awards program or case study library. The numbers come from WARC, Cannes Lions, and Kantar summaries, not from independent audits, so they show what each team chose to measure. That is still useful, because the choice of metric reveals what each campaign was built to move.
Which food and drink campaign is best for each goal?
The best food and drink campaign depends on the goal: Magnum for changing when a category sells, Heinz for building on fan loyalty, Heinz and Absolut for a seeded launch, Michelob ULTRA for reviving a declining category, and Ziploc for winning new buyers. The table matches each goal to the case with the strongest reported result for it. The matches are 5W's reading of figures submitted by the brands and their agencies.
| If your goal is... | Look at | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Selling in an off-season | Magnum | 38.9% sales uplift in the UK winter |
| Growth built on existing fans | Heinz, "It Has to Be Heinz" | 12% global ketchup sales growth a year since 2019 |
| A new product launch with early buzz | Heinz and Absolut | 57% sales uplift and 1 billion impressions |
| Reviving a category in decline | Michelob ULTRA | 32% year-over-year sales growth against a declining light beer market |
| New buyers on a price-sensitive shelf | Ziploc | 540,000 new buyers and 5% unit sales growth |
How did Magnum sell ice cream in winter?
Magnum sold ice cream in winter by challenging the idea that ice cream is a summer product. WARC's 2025 Grand Prix summary reports a 38.9% sales uplift during the UK winter, the brand's best season ever, along with gains in brand power and purpose perception.
The reported result matters because the campaign attacked the category's oldest sales limit. 5W's reading: a campaign that changes when people buy gives journalists a clear, quotable hook, and the hook is the reason the idea travels beyond paid media.
How did Heinz turn fan devotion into sales?
Heinz turned fan devotion into sales by building campaigns around what shoppers already said about the brand instead of launching a new claim. Kantar's Cannes 2024 summary reports that "It Has to Be Heinz" helped the brand reach 12% global ketchup sales growth a year since 2019 and win back 3.2 share points.
One thread of that platform, "Ketchup Fraud," exposed the practice of restaurants refilling Heinz bottles with other condiments. According to the Print Power case study, Heinz was added to 33 new restaurant locations, sentiment was 92% positive, and engagement ran 128 times above benchmarks.
Heinz also worked with Absolut on a vodka pasta sauce for the UK. WARC's case summary says the team used 1980s visuals and seeded influencers and journalists before the product reached mainstream shelves, and reports 1 billion total impressions, a 57% sales uplift, and a 19% increase in household penetration. The sequence is the lesson: build conversation among people who will repeat it, then open the sale.
What did Michelob ULTRA and Ziploc add?
Michelob ULTRA and Ziploc added two ways to answer a falling category: change the occasion, or remove a shopper's reason to hesitate. Michelob ULTRA faced light beer sales that had declined 3% to 4% a year since 2013, according to its Cannes case study.
Its 2020 "Courtside" campaign reported a 31% increase in brand reach, 13 billion impressions, an 11% increase in household penetration, and 32% year-over-year sales growth. Ziploc's 2026 Creative Effectiveness Lions entry reports that letting shoppers scan expired food coupons for redemption at more than 80 retailers produced 5% unit sales growth, 540,000 new buyers, and a 2-point gain in buyer share against price competition.
What does a cautionary food and beverage campaign look like?
A cautionary food and beverage campaign looks like Bud Light's 2023 backlash, in which the brand lost its position as the top-selling U.S. beer. The Associated Press reported that Bud Light had held that position since 2001, according to the consulting firm Bump Williams, and slipped to second behind Modelo.
The AP tied the decline to early April 2023, when critics vowed to boycott the brand after it sent a commemorative can to the influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Dave Williams of Bump Williams said Bud Light's retail sales were down 24% in the week ending June 3, while Modelo Especial sales rose 12%. The brand also faced criticism from Mulvaney's fans, who thought it did not do enough to support her, which shows that a partnership can draw reactions from more than one audience.
The planning lesson is practical. Before signing a creator or celebrity partner, map the reactions of every audience that buys the product, and decide in advance who speaks for the brand if the reaction splits.
What do the winning campaigns have in common?
The winning campaigns share four moves: they reframe the category, build on existing fan behavior, seed a trend before selling it, and remove a shopper's barrier. The table pairs each move with an example and an action.
| Move | Example | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Reframe the category | Magnum sells ice cream in winter | List the unwritten rules of the category and test which one a campaign could break |
| Build on fan behavior | Heinz "Ketchup Fraud" | Read the brand's reviews and social posts for something fans already say, then give it a stage |
| Seed before selling | Heinz and Absolut influencer and journalist previews | Reach the people who will repeat the story before the product is on shelves |
| Remove a barrier | Ziploc coupon scanning | Find the point where a shopper hesitates and design the campaign around it |
What should a food or beverage campaign leave behind for AI search?
A food or beverage campaign should leave behind facts that journalists and AI answer engines can verify and cite, such as sourcing, production method, and named results. AI answer engines draw on sources that independent outlets mention consistently, so a campaign that produces one burst of coverage leaves less to retrieve than one that gives writers durable facts.
5W's analysis of tequila PR and category growth shows the mechanism in one category. It reports that a named production number and agave region give a journalist or an AI engine a fact to cite, much as a vineyard designation does for wine. The same page cites IWSR data showing global tequila volumes grew at a 7% compound annual rate from 2019 to 2025, while super-premium volumes fell 6% in 2024 to 2025. For a view of how drinks brands appear in AI answers, see 5W's functional beverages AI visibility index.
What does 5W's own food and beverage work cover?
5W's published food and beverage case studies cover spirits, soft drinks, coffee, beer, and condiments. They include 1800 Tequila, Sparkling Ice, Death Wish Coffee, Samuel Adams, and Colman's Mustard.
Each page states its own results and period, so readers can compare them on the same terms used above: what the campaign set out to change, and what number moved. For the wider practice, see 5W's food and beverage PR page, and for another sector roundup built the same way, see the best gambling PR campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a food and beverage campaign successful?
A successful food and beverage campaign ties a creative idea to a measured business result. Magnum reported a 38.9% winter sales uplift, and Heinz and Absolut reported a 57% sales uplift in the UK, according to WARC.
Which food and drink campaign is best for a product launch?
Among these five, Heinz and Absolut reported the strongest launch result, a 57% sales uplift and 1 billion impressions, after seeding influencers and journalists first, according to WARC. The figure is reported by the case's authors and is not independently audited.
Does influencer marketing work for food and beverage brands?
Yes, when influencers and journalists see the product before the sale opens. Heinz and Absolut seeded both groups ahead of the mainstream launch and reported a 57% sales uplift, per WARC.
How should brands measure campaign results?
Brands should measure sales, household penetration, and new buyers alongside impressions. Ziploc reported 540,000 new buyers and a 2-point gain in buyer share, and Michelob ULTRA reported an 11% increase in household penetration.
Why do some beverage campaigns backfire?
Beverage campaigns backfire when a partnership draws strong reactions from the brand's own buyers. Bud Light's 2023 decline followed a boycott call and criticism from more than one audience, as the Associated Press reported.
What should a food or beverage brand take from these campaigns?
Each campaign above changed one thing a shopper already believed: when ice cream is eaten, which ketchup belongs on a table, or whether an expired coupon is worth anything. A brand can start by naming the one belief its next campaign will change, then choosing the number that will show whether it did.
Food and beverage brands that want a campaign built around that number can start with 5W's food and beverage PR practice.
