Heinz Made Up Famous Number 57
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By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- This one might sting a little for Heinz Ketchup fans.
The famous number 57 on every bottle of Heinz Ketchup is all a lie.
When H.J. Heinz came up with the "57 varieties" slogan more than 100 years ago, the company did not have 57 Heinz varieties. The inspiration actually came during a trip to New York City when he saw an ad for 21 styles of shoes. Heinz wrote in his journal that the ad was memorable, and he changed his branding a week later.
There are a lot of theories on how Heinz landed on 57, from it being a combination of his and his wife's lucky numbers to the psychological influence of the number seven.
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