Heinz ketchup decides to go with ad campaign pitched on 'Mad Men'

When a popular television show borrows a brand and even cooks up an advertising campaign for it, you might as well run with it.

Kraft Heinz Co. claims to be doing just that with plans to launch a "Pass the Heinz" campaign first pitched by ad man Don Draper, a character in the cable television show "Mad Men."

Draper, played by Jon Hamm, didn't get the account on the show. But sometimes real life doesn't quite imitate fiction.

In an official announcement last week, the food company, based in Pittsburgh and Chicago, described Draper's idea as "timeless," a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that the concept came from a show set in the 1960s.

As described by trade publication AdWeek, the episode showed a campaign for the company's flagship ketchup that didn't actually show the condiment.

Rather, it featured shots of food — French fries, a hamburger, a piece of steak — that do well with ketchup. The tagline: "Pass the Heinz."

The fictional clients didn't buy the pitch, saying it felt like "half an ad."

"We are proud to be working with our two partner agencies on this new campaign," said Nicole Kulwicki, head of Heinz brands, in a statement.

A company spokeswoman said Kraft Heinz worked with Lionsgate, so it could tap into the concept scripted by the "Mad Men" writers.

As with the company's push to get the day after the Super Bowl declared a national holiday so workers could recover from a big night of football, the new campaign may be primarily a publicity stunt.

In the case of the post-Super Bowl holiday, Kraft Heinz managed to get numerous mentions in national media by promising to give its own nonfactory workers in the U.S. the day off, and by starting a petition to get outside support.

The campaign is destined for print ads and outdoor billboards in New York City, according to the company's announcement.