Gen Z talent proves Heinz is in very creative hands

The 2026 Edcom AD Venture competition concluded in Lisbon this week, and while the work was consistently brilliant, the intellectual firepower on display proved the future of our industry is in very safe hands. This was more than a student competition; it was a high stakes showcase of how the next generation views brand heritage through a modern lens.

For over a decade, Edcom AD Venture has offered one lucky brand the chance to tap into the largest student pitch in Europe encompassing critical thinking and collaboration at scale. This year, Heinz Ketchup led by Julie Veryser, Senior Director of Brand Building EPDM and Kubra Kilicel, Heinz Brand Lead for EPDM took the hot seat. The process began with a world-class brief and a fully immersive briefing designed to fire up the students to go all in with ideas to get Gen Z consumers to experience the taste of Heinz Ketchup by capturing their attention throughout a dedicated online-to-offline consumer journey.

The programme then moved into high gear. Faculty heads and Edcom project teams worked with hundreds of pitch teams to narrow the field. After months of refinement, three university teams stood out, the Ecole Supérieure de Publicité, Communication et Marketing (ESP), Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, and Pantheon-Assas University.

Come pitch day at the Universidade nova de Lisboa (FCSH) the sheer velocity of the final presentations was breathtaking. Each team hit the ground running in front of an audience of fifty practioners and academics drawn from the Heinz brand team and some of the best universities, brands and agencies across Europe.

To me, this was pitching at its best: fast, punchy, authentic and full of confidence. There was no hesitation and nothing left on the table. Just tight knit teams showing exactly what they’ll bring to the industry in the coming months. Most refreshing of all was the use of AI. While the industry remains locked in circular debates, these students treated it as a tool so fully integrated it required no discussion.

To quote Julie Veryser, “The students were courageous, offering a raw and authentic lens on advertising that you just can’t replicate. They helped us bridge the gap between our heritage and the next generation, proving Heinz is in very capable, very creative hands. We loved every second of it”. As an Intermediary who runs pitches day in, day out this is feedback worthy of any agency and its testament to just how seriously Kraft Heinz invested in a process to leave a legacy the students will remember long into their future careers.    

As the person leading the pitch, I walked away with three observations we can all learn from:

·       Trust Gen Z to deliver the goods: To deliver transformational programmes, you must trust the talent. Everyone stood up to be counted, facing down questions with knowledge and skills way beyond their years.

·       The pitch starts on day one: The winning team used every second available from day 1, almost bending time to deliver a mountain of content in an oasis of calm.

·       Diversity delivers a return on inclusion: It was no accident the winning team included six different nationalities. The crackle of kinetic energy was palpable when they presented, even dialling in team members from Australia in the middle of the night.

The jury, headed by Mafalda Quintela, creative director at Mafalda&Francisco, faced a tougher decision than in any previous year. After an hour of debate, which included discussion on whether one of the ideas might win at Cannes Lions, the winner was chosen.

Thomas More University Applied Sciences, with a team of future industry superstars, Chinouk de Decker, Kamil Wysocki-Farooqi, Aurora Sanfilippo, Xhesiana Pashaj, Natalia Koliwoszko and Metka Maša Strle created the winning campaign #Heinzdoesntjudge. The idea was bold and brilliant, backed by qualitative market research tapping into key trends and insight of Gen Z’s attitudes and behaviours.

Metka summed up their win best “the experience went far beyond creating a campaign, it challenged us to rethink how a legacy brand stays relevant, and how to connect generations without losing authenticity. This was an opportunity for young creatives to experiment, challenge themselves and bring bold ideas to life”.

In second place were Ecole Supérieure de Publicité Communication et Marketing (ESP) made up of Eliana Miguel, India Madassamy, Zahra Ouddak and Lorette Ganne.

In third place were Pantheon-Assas University made up of Naohiro Tsuchiya, Matthieu Rodrigues, Lina Uribe and Laetitia Remy.   

Christian de la Villehuchet, President of EACA and Global Chief Client and Integration Officer chez Havas Group, noted the level of professionalism: "The depth of strategic thinking we saw this year was outstanding. We experienced a transformational, progressive talent pipeline for Europe every brand and agency should feel excited about and ready to hire”.

Dr Kirstie Riedl and Arnoud Verslius, Co-Presidents of Edcom and Head of Program, Green Marketing & Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation at Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt and Education Manager, Creative Businesses and Lecturer at Breda University of Applied Sciences respectively, echoed this, stating "The collaboration between academia and industry is vital. Seeing the three finalist teams bring such fresh perspectives to an iconic brand like Heinz shows why AD Venture is the premier launchpad for young talent coming into industry."

My advice to any agency leader looking for growth is simple: move fast. These students are pitch-ready to rewrite the rules. They head to Cannes Lions in June where they are in a hurry to bring their ideas to your brands. We should all welcome them.

I’ll leave the final words to the winners, “When we read the brief we said ‘we’re going to go all the way, and we’re going to win this’. We stuck to this mindset and we made it happen”. These are precisely the people we need in the workplace.