Heinz 57 Information
Heinz 57 is a shortened, popular form of the "57 Varieties" slogan of Pittsburgh's H. J. Heinz Company. In its early days, the company wanted to advertise the great number of choices of canned and bottled foods it offered for sale. Although the company had more than 60 products in 1892, the number 57 was chosen because the numbers "5" and "7" held special significance to Heinz. The number "5" was Henry John Heinz's lucky number and the number "7" was his wife's lucky number.[1] Prepared horseradish was their first product.
In response to the question "What does the '57' stand for in Heinz’s famous slogan, '57 Varieties?'" the Heinz company's official Web site states: "While riding a train in New York City in 1896, Henry Heinz saw a sign advertising 21 styles of shoes, which he thought was clever. Although Heinz was manufacturing more than 60 products at the time, Henry thought 57 was a lucky number. So, he began using the slogan '57 Varieties' in all his advertising. Today the company has more than 5,700 products around the globe, but still uses the magic number of '57.'"[2]
The slogan is printed on Heinz pickle pins that are distributed by the millions. Heinz 57 is also the name of one variety of Heinz steak sauce and is distinctive from other steak sauces in its color and flavor. Heinz 57 Sauce is a reddish sauce with a taste more akin to spicy ketchup than to other steak sauces. Heinz often markets the sauce as "ketchup with a kick" to highlight this distinction.
The relatively high viscosity and pseudoplastic[3] nature of ketchup can make pouring it from a glass bottle somewhat difficult and unpredictable, and several urban legends surrounding this phenomenon have arisen. According to one popular folk remedy, repeatedly hitting the "57" mark on a glass Heinz ketchup bottle makes the ketchup pour out more quickly and easily. The New York Times claims this is a matter of intentional design, with Heinz having placed the "57" mark on that particular spot of the bottle as a target for consumers to hit.[1]
Other uses
The name Heinz 57 is also sometimes used to describe a dog which is a mix of multiple breeds.
In a game of bingo, it is common to hear "Heinz variety" being called out to represent the number 57, in the same way that "two little ducks" represent 22 and "two fat ladies" for 88.[citation needed] Heinz 57 is also a nickname for British Rail Class 57 locomotives.[4]
When Pittsburgh-based Heinz purchased the naming rights of Heinz Field in 2001, they signed a deal to pay the Pittsburgh Steelers $57 million for the rights. Although the Steelers could have easily attracted more money for naming rights, it was intentionally decided on for $57 million. For the following year, when local ads for the then-new Heinz Field were airing on TV, the commercial showed several Steelers players running out of the team's locker room, all wearing jersey number 57 (in reality, linebacker John Fiala was wearing the number at the time the commercial aired), and the number 57 was painted at the 50 yard line instead of the typical number 50.
References
- ^ a b Rawsthorn, Alice (12 April 2009). "An Icon, Despite Itself". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/fashion/13iht-design13.html?_r=1. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ Heinz - Trivia
- ^ Barry, Patrick L.; Dr. Tony Phillips (10 August 2004). "The Great Ketchup Mystery". First Science.com. http://www.firstscience.com/site/articles/ketchup.asp. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ http://train.spottingworld.com/List_of_UK_railfan_jargon#H
External links
Categories: Brand name condiments | H. J. Heinz Company brands | English phrases
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