
When Heinz ketchup ran a “design your own label” contest in Germany between 2012 and 2014, they didn’t put too much thought into what would happen when people tried to find out more information using a QR code printed on the back of bottles once the contest ended. The little oversight led to an embarrassing result as Daniel Korell found that scanning the code loading up a hardcore porn site on his phone instead.
Shocked by the result, Korell posted an angry message on Facebook telling Heinz that their “ketchup is probably not for minors. The bottle may be a remnant, but it still exists in many households. For me it is incomprehensible that you wouldn’t reserve the web address for one or two more years. A domain name really doesn’t cost the world.”
Heinz’s social media team was quick to apologize for the embarrassing incident and while the damage was already done, Korell will be getting the opportunity to have a design his own label on a free bottle of ketchup.
The German porn site that snatched up the expired domain, Fundorado, isn’t putting the free publicity to waste though. In Korell’s post, the porn site commented that he would be given a free year’s subscription to their site if he wants it.