• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 31, 2025

Hellmann’s wants to liberate your junk drawer -- and your taste buds. The Unilever-owned condiment brand has launched “Ketchup Currency,” a digital promo that rewards consumers for parting with surplus ketchup packets, offering discounts on mayo in return.

Users can upload photos of unused ketchup packets cluttering their homes through a QR code. Those who scan between one and nine packets receive a $1 coupon for Hellmann’s, while scanning ten or more nets a $2 discount. A handful of participants who stumble upon what the brand calls a “secret rare ketchup packet” will win a year’s supply of mayonnaise.

"The mystery is part of the fun, much like finding a winning ticket," a spokesperson says. "The scan technology will recognize and reward packets that meet the 'rare' threshold. If you’ve got something special, you just might score free Hellmann’s mayo for a year."

This is the latest in Hellmann’s quirky campaign to shift American dipping habits. While ketchup still reigns supreme in the U.S., the brand is betting on a growing appetite for mayo-dipped fries, already popular in parts of Europe. Hellmann’s says a third of Americans now prefer mayo, even if they’re reluctant to admit it.

Last summer, the brand staged Le Café Hellmann’s, a one-day pop-up in New York’s Soho where guests snacked on fries paired exclusively with mayo, alongside Kir Royales and French 75 mocktails. That stunt was tied to the Paris Summer Olympics and part of a broader strategy to make Hellmann’s more culturally relevant.

"With 'Ketchup Currency,' we're challenging condiment norms by offering consumers a chance to transform ketchup packets into something rewarding," says Jessica Grigoriou, the new senior vice president of marketing for condiments, in an email to Marketing Daily.  "After the amazing response to our Le Cafe Hellmann's event last summer, it's clear that more people are embracing dipping fries in mayo."

Unilever is promoting the Hellmann’s Ketchup Currency campaign with digital video, which follows other splashy brand campaigns, including an NFL-themed push with quarterback Will Levis and a Super Bowl spot channeling “When Harry Met Sally.”