Ketchup might be the most popular condiment in America. It's tangy, reliable, predictable, and boring in the best way. Sometimes, however, brands decide that boring isn't what consumers want. Over the years, ketchup manufacturers have tried to reinvent the bottle, flavor, or the condiment's purpose.
Some of these ideas were bold and experimental. Others were marketing gambles that didn't pay off or sell bottles by the dozen. From color-changing sauces to flavor mash-ups, there have been some truly innovative ketchup concepts introduced to the market.
Let's look at some of the crazier ketchup concepts that manufacturers have tried to convince us were a natural evolution of the condiment.
Purple, Green, and Blue Ketchup
Arguably, the most infamous ketchup experiment was the release of colored ketchup. Bright purple, green, blue, and even pink ketchup were brought to market in the early 2000s. It targeted kids and families who loved novelty. While the flavor was basically the same, the visual shock was its main selling point.
Seeing neon-green ketchup on a hot dog felt weird, and marketers underestimated the appeal of ketchup's familiarity. Once the novelty was gone, consumers realized that their food looked radioactive. Sales plummeted quickly, and the colorful condiments were pulled without much fanfare.
This ketchup experiment proved that visual innovation can backfire when it clashes with what we love about a product.
Dessert Ketchups
Another odd chapter in ketchup history was when the condiment was forced into dessert territory. Some brands experimented with extra-sweet ketchup recipes with the idea that it could be paired with foods not normally associated with it.
While it wasn't marketed as a dessert condiment, the goal was clear: expand usage beyond burgers, hot dogs, and fries. Unfortunately, ketchup's vinegar-forward tang made this confusing and unappealing for consumers. No one knew when to use it or why they should even bother.
Dessert ketchup is a case study in how not to stretch a product or brand past its core purpose just to spike sales.
Unexpected Packaging and Formats
Manufacturers experimented with more than flavor. They also got weird about packaging. Single-serve ketchup slices designed to be added to a burger like cheese, sprayable ketchup cans, and oddly-shaped squeeze bottles all made brief appearances in grocery stores.
While some of these concepts were meant to solve problems, like messiness, they often created more friction. Ketchup slices melted poorly, while spray cans were a useless gimmick. It's important to note that these ideas didn't fail because they were strange. They failed because they didn't offer additional convenience or flavor. They were just a novelty play, and consumers weren't that interested.
Ketchup has a wild history of failed innovation, proving that even the most established products aren't immune to risky ideas and experimentation. Some concepts fail because they don't put the consumer first, while others were too reliant on shock value without any benefit. At the very least, they generated buzz, conversation, pushed boundaries, and reminded brands that innovation can lead to alienation if they're not careful.
