Hellmann's mayo swap boosted loyalty 65 percent

What Edelman did

Facing pressure from cheaper private-label rivals, Hellmann's needed to reassert its premium positioning with cost-conscious British consumers who routinely get ketchup free at fast-food outlets but pay extra for mayonnaise. Edelman turned that everyday grievance into the campaign's strategic anchor — an unspoken inequality in condiment culture where ketchup is handed out in bulk for free while mayo costs more — and reframed Hellmann's as the superior condiment unfairly disadvantaged by fast-food convention, inviting people to correct the imbalance by trading unwanted ketchup sachets for Hellmann's mayo at a dedicated condiment currency exchange. To bring it to life, Edelman converted 62 UK currency bureaus — in partnership with No1 Currency, Thomas Exchange Global, and Currency Exchange Corporation — into condiment exchange points running 3–10 April 2025. Exchange rates varied by location, set using factors like the concentration of nearby fast-food outlets and population density to reinforce the currency-bureau conceit. Local creators known for financial and satirical content produced skits and mock "exchange market updates," while Hellmann's social channels traded quips with fast-food chains and fans to extend the eight-day activation in conversation.