Heinz is taking a gamble with its Dreamz recipe campaign. Or is it?

For an insight into Britain’s culinary prowess, look no further than Heinz’s Instagram page. The brand has opened the doors to the public to create the ‘Beanz of your Dreamz’, with a £5k cash price up for grabs.

Suggestions underneath the post range from the inspired – “bacon, parmesan, salt and pepper (to be served on toast with an egg)” – to those that would make the health police weep. While one user votes for a Big Mac variant, another puts forward a pizza flavour. Another risks the ire of everyone with one simple word: “pineapple”.

It would seem Heinz is taking a gamble by letting the general public loose on its next variant, which will join its existing lineup, including Jalfrezi, Chilli and Peri Peri. It goes beyond the usual campaigns of its ilk, such as the Walkers ‘Do Us a Flavour’ – which simply asked for a broad flavour suggestion.

This campaign is far more detailed. Go on to the site, and you’re essentially asked to build a recipe from up to three ingredients. Entrants can choose from herbs & spices, sauces and pastes, fruit & veg and dairy & protein. And the options are plentiful. The likes of gochuang paste, jalapeño and even apple purée are on the menu, before entrants are given 100 words to describe why these are the Beanz of their dreams.

The results could be as disastrous as they are exciting. Just as we could get a gochujang Beanz with red pepper, we could also get apple purée variant with fennel (no prizes for guessing which The Grocer has submitted).

But this is exactly the point. The main aim here – as with many launches through its DTC Heinz at Home channel – is to generate PR. Not only will the competition itself create buzz, anyone who enters automatically receives 10% off its website, no doubt driving sales.

After all, Heinz at Home is primarily a brand-building channel, rather than a sales one. That point was hammered home by Heinz vice president of sales for northern Europe David Adams at The Grocer Business Lunch last month.

The Heinz tinned Spaghetti Carbonara, for example – the subject of several irate headlines – only sold in limited quantities through the Heinz at Home channel, Adams revealed. But more importantly, it drove “buzz for the brand”.

So at the end of this campaign, don’t be surprised if Heinz goes for a flavour that is a talking point rather than a crowd pleaser. And what could be more of a talking point than apple purée and fennel seed Beanz? Hey, we’re just putting it out there.