Kraft Heinz Loyalty

Heinz, Mac & Cheese, Lunchables, Oscar Mayer.

The goal: design a multi-brand loyalty platform where every purchase, interaction, or share would earn points — points that could be redeemed for rewards, discounts, and exclusive products.

At Apply Digital, I led a three-person design team through concept, design, motion, and prototyping, working side by side with Kraft Heinz stakeholders in weekly reviews.

The Challenge

Designing a loyalty program is complex enough. Now imagine doing it while the core concept and features were still being defined. As with all DX initiatives at Kraft Heinz, the system had to feel cohesive across brands, while still allowing each one to maintain its unique identity and voice.

The audience was already clear: earlier research by Kraft Heinz and Apply had pointed to Gen Z — and was one of the reasons Kraft Heinz decided to build the platform in the first place.

The Concept

To unify the experience without introducing yet another brand into KH’s already massive ecosystem, I created the concept of “The Drip.”

A simple, fluid element that symbolizes movement, sharing, interaction, and food — evoking sauces, melted cheese, and ketchup, all deeply tied to Kraft Heinz products.

The Drip served as a subtle visual signature, connecting content and users across brands.

The Solution

The platform was built around team-based engagement. Upon signing up, users would choose a team (one of the four KH brands), and earn points by completing weekly challenges, quizzes, and polls. Points could be redeemed for rewards — and at the end of the season, the top-performing team unlocked bonus prizes.

The system was simple, but required smart, engaging content to keep users returning week after week.

The Execution

We built a lightweight, mobile-first web app — no downloads required. A feed of weekly activities inspired by TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts was designed to keep users coming back. The interface aimed to feel fast, playful, and familiar to a younger, digitally native audience.

And throughout the journey, “The Drip” was always there — tying everything together with a visual rhythm that felt natural and unified, but never overbearing.

The Impact

Over more than a year, we designed 20+ screens and the platform’s core flows — from concept and design to motion and prototype — aligned every week with Kraft Heinz stakeholders. Kraft Heinz put the platform on hold before launch due to a shift in strategic direction — but The Drip outlived it. The concept was expanded into the wave elements used across other Kraft Heinz brand sites — generated with the Wave tool from my animation framework.

Bonus: Amikhi

As an early step toward the loyalty platform, I conceived and designed Amikhi — an experimental app designed to encourage Gen Z users to disconnect and connect in real life. The client had passed on an earlier take on this project; my version won them over.

The idea: friends place their phones on a table, face down, while the app runs. The longer they go without touching their phones, the more points they earn — and with more people playing together, rewards multiply.

A playful and symbolic way to promote real-world presence and connection, especially relevant for a generation shaped by screens and post-pandemic social challenges.