By James Kirchick
June 23, 2004
Under the tagline, “You don’t support Democrats, why should your ketchup?” W Ketchup premiered last week in the pages of the conservative National Review magazine and on www.wketchup.com, and already has created quite a stir (no pun intended).
The marketing scheme is being orchestrated by a group of thirtysomethings from New York and Washington, according to Bill Zachary, chairman of W Ketchup LLC.
Zachary, a banker in New York City, explained that he and his friends were “sitting around one day having a barbecue” when they decided to do something in response to the pernicious name on the ketchup bottle they were using to adorn their hot dogs with the tomato-based paste.
“We were sort of forced, every time we buy ketchup, to give a little bit to Heinz,” Zachary said, referring to John Kerry’s wife, ketchup-heiress Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Thus W Ketchup was born. It is now taking orders over the Internet from its headquarters in upstate New York. The minimum order is four bottles (which cost $12). Those throwing huge parties can purchase five cases of the stuff (80 bottles) for a whopping $92. It is expensive to send the product, Zachary said, because “ketchup is a heavy item to ship…and you can’t put it in an envelope.”
Though the W Ketchup website claims that the purchase of Heinz products supports “liberal causes such as Kerry for President,” Debbie Foster, a spokeswoman for the Heinz Corp., said that Theresa Heinz Kerry has no involvement in the management of the condiment giant, nor does “she own a significant number of shares.” In fact, all Heinz family interests in the company amount to less than 4 percent of the company, according to Foster.
Backers of W Ketchup plan to donate 5 percent of their proceeds to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to the children of American soldiers killed in battle. Asked how much money investors hope to make, Zachary said, “No one’s doing it for money here. We’re doing it as a fun project.”
Aside from political factors, consumers may wish to purchase the W brand because it has a “sweeter, more
tomatoey, less vinegary” taste, according to Zachary, who conducted a taste test with seven brands of ketchup before deciding on the final recipe.
W Ketchup is not the first food product created in response to a perceived liberal standard. Shoppers can also purchase “Star Spangled Ice Cream”
(www.starspangledicecream.com) which was created in response to Ben & Jerry’s heavenly fattening brand. Ben Cohen, one of the two creators of the Vermont-based ice cream, is a liberal advocate who endorsed Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) for president. The 13 flavors available include “I Hate the French Vanilla,” “Nutty Environmentalist” and “Smaller
Governmint.”
Though W Ketchup may try to appeal to a conservative consumer base, Foster maintains that Heinz rises above any sort of political affiliation. “We believe Heinz ketchup is superior to all other brands, Republican, Democrat or independent,” she said.