Lost Heinz Beanz Ruin a Vacation in Delightfully Silly W+K Ad

When traveling to India, Ringo Starr reportedly packed one suitcase with his clothes and filled a second one with Heinz Beanz. Agency Wieden+Kennedy London plays on that story—and other news articles about Brits having their beans confiscated by airline security—in a goofy Heinz ad about a vacation gone wrong.

Directed by Steve Rogers through production company Biscuit Filmworks X Revolver, “Too Good to Leave Behind” starts with a man waiting at a baggage carousel and leaving empty handed. He spends his entire tropical vacation sobbing, whether in the pool, getting a massage, playing tennis or sitting on a beach—all because he lost his suitcase full of Heinz Beanz.

“Heinz Beanz have a place in British people’s hearts and, it would appear, in their suitcases too,” W+K London creative directors Joe de Souza and Juan Sevilla told Adweek. “We wanted to tell a story that tapped into this feeling—a love that transcends all boundaries. It’s a funny story, but there are no jokes, just a lot of manly weeping.”

The campaign will run on TV, VOD, CTV, cinema and digital and social media platforms in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland. British-Polish photographer Kamila K. Stanley took pictures of Brits carrying luggage filled with Heinz Beanz tins to use in outdoor ads nationwide, including at the arrivals and departures terminals at London’s Heathrow Airport.

“We knew that it was a thing—people packing their home comforts away with them when going on holiday—but not to the point where multitudes of Brits were having their beans taken away from them,” W+K London creatives Hannah Fortune and Chelsea Thorley said in a statement. “Ultimately, we wanted to convey that feeling of being without the thing you love.”

The work is part of Heinz’s “Irrational Love” global platform, which kicked off in June. That effort’s hero film also showed a suitcase full of Heinz Beanz.

CREDITS:

W+K London
Creative directors: Juan Sevilla, Joe de Souza
Creatives: Chelsea Thorley, Hannah Fortune
Business director: Jess Palmer
Account director: Emily Gower
Account manager: Sophie Grierson
Account executive: Alex Denny
Planner: Ollie Chakravarty
Strategy director: Rory Foster
AV producer: Iona Patterson, Dom Felton
Print producer: Bex Calway
Heads of production: Rich Adkins, Amy Leach 
Head of business affairs: Helena Tomas 
Senior business affairs manager: Alex Coomer
Business affairs coordinator: Lenya James 
Head of account management: Matt Owen
President: Ryan Fisher
Chief creative officers: Ana Balarin, Hermeti Balarin
Chief strategy officer: Dan Hill

TV Production
Production company: Biscuit Filmworks x Revolver
Director: Steve Rogers
MD: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
Executive producer: Sam Chitty, Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
Head of production: Sara Cummins
Production company producer: Tom Ford
Production manager: Luke Thornton
Director of photography: Rob Hardy
Production designer: Jon Henson
Stylist: Jo Ryan
Hair & makeup: Juanjo Argenta
Casting: Hannah Birkett Casting
Editorial company: Work Editorial 
Editor: Rich Orrick 
Assistant editor: Jack Moore
Edit producer: Frankie Elster
VFX company: Time Based Arts
VFX head of production: Sian Jenkins
VFX producer: Jo Gutteridge
VFX supervisor: Pete Smith|
VFX lead: Timo Huber
Colorist: Simone Grattarola
Nuke artist: Danny Peoples
Sound studio: 750mph
Sound engineer: Sam Ashwell, Jake Ashwell
Music supervision: Paul Brown @ Mr Pape

Stills Production
Production company: Making Pictures Productions
Photographer: Kamilla K Stanley
Producer: Anastasia Orlando
DOP: Louis Mackay