In-Lecture Exercise C

The Signs and Symbols of Heinz

First, the noticeable signifiers are a stack of red slices, green stem above, and sliced-up Heinz labelling. The immediate impression we get is that the stack is supposed to represent slices of tomatoes, due to its roundness, texture, and the stem on top. Of course, Heinz as a company known for making ketchup, along with the label "TOMATO KETCHUP" confirms that it has something to do with Heinz tomato ketchup. On top of the label, the shape of the stacks gives us a silhouette of one of their most popular products, a bottle of Tomato Ketchup. Overall, the image appears to be a Heinz tomato ketchup bottle made out of tomato slices.

The main message being brought across by these symbols is that Heinz tomato ketchup is fresh. With the ketchup bottle made up of tomato slices, it is signifying that there is minimal processing from the farm to the bottle. That's pretty clever.

Next, there is the tagline at the bottom. "No one grows Ketchup like Heinz." Taken literally, it tells us that Heinz is in a league of its own; it's unmatched by other ketchup companies.
Another message can be construed from the strange wording of "Grows Ketchup"; implying that they grow Ketchup directly, as if bottles of it grew on trees, or rather, that the ketchup is so fresh it's as if it's grown right from the tree. This ties together well with its visual element.