Earlier this year, Heinz became the first FMCG brand to sell product via Facebook; producing limited edition tomato ketchup available only through the social networking site. While the results were not fantastic, they were good enough to encourage the brand to increase their investment in social media.</p> <p>?The Facebook activity seeded a lot of the interest and awareness of the limited edition and increased overall brand perception. We?ll consider replicating that model further down the line,? said brand manager Lucy Clark. Clark went on to say that Heinz is planning to increase its Facebook advertising budget by 20%, as part of an overall social media marketing strategy.</p> <p>For the summer, Facebook has launched a barbecue season campaign. Centring around a Facebook application, the campaign features recipes and weather updates as well as prize drawings and the chance to become a sponsored story.</p> <p>According to Clark, social media has become vital in the brand?s overall marketing strategy; offering a way to overcome the brand?s primary challenge ? how to renew interest in a brand that is already well known and well established.</p> <p>?It?s hard to drive new interest in a brand that?s so well-established, and social media is geared towards invigorating people and driving excitement and engagement through awards and other initiatives - we want to keep that going.?<br /> Heinz launched its first Facebook page in October 2010 as part of its ?Secret Ingredient? campaign. In that endeavour, the brand worked with major supermarkets, including Sainsbury?s, Tesco, Morrison?s, and Asda, using celebrity-fronted video to reinforce the idea of ketchup as an ingredient rather than just a condiment.<br />