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Heinz puzzle as appears on Marketing Dive
Lynne McNameeMay 6, 2020 11:54:51 AM1 min read

Puzzles for Team Building

There are a lot of really bad marketing and advertising efforts these days. But sometimes, you get a stroke of genius. This, to me, is one of those brilliant ideas, well executed.

In the words of Shakespeare, "to thine owns self be true." Heinz has done just that. 

They understand their point of differentiation and where they fit in the marketplace. Plus, they know how to communicate it.

Thus we bring you...The Heinz Ketchup Puzzle. 

Quoting Marketing Dive, "The offering from Kraft Heinz Canada is intended to serve as the world's slowest puzzle, consisting of 570 pieces identically colored in the ketchup brand's signature red hue."

"Heinz is known for its iconic, slow-pouring ketchup. In a period when everyone has a little more time on their hands and puzzle popularity has skyrocketed, we wanted to help pass the time by connecting the two," Brian Neumann, senior brand manager, Kraft Heinz Canada, said in a press statement."

https://www.marketingdive.com/news/mcdonalds-heinz-serve-up-puzzles-to-keep-consumers-occupied-or-flustere/577473/

So how could we apply this to Learning?

Well, being invested in a puzzle certainly involves multiple senses and parts of the brain. The sense of challenge and reward is built into the effort. A puzzle provides a clear sense of task and clear understanding of the challenges involved...especially with 570 pieces that all look pretty much the same!

When completed as a team, it could be a great way to help identify different skills and strengths, and building a team to help build empathy, watching when one person gets too frustrated, rotating roles, dividing labor, developing systems and being open to revising those processes and systems as more information and experience is developed.

So whether we create custom puzzles or can get our hands on the limited supply of this Heinz one, once we can reunite, this could be an interesting exercise in team building.

Just be sure to have plenty of the real thing on hand to celebrate at a feast at the end.

What do you think? 

 

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Lynne McNamee

Lone Armadillo is led by Lynne McNamee. Having directed the Avis Rent A Car®, Hewlett-Packard Company and Bank of America® accounts, Lynne has deep experience in both strategy and execution for Fortune 50 clients. She is recognized as a unique and creative thinker, most notably for introducing synergies among brands, products and new technologies. Lynne is a senior marketing professional and strategic thinker who leverages data and technology to lead innovative teams to measurable results through UX and omni-channel marketing while building strong client relationships. She has a proven record helping companies increase market share, create sustainable growth and improve ROI by developing focused strategy, actionable plans, sustainable processes and measurable tactics.

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