Whiddon and Heinz Unveil a Special Collaboration in Celebration of Australia’s Oldest Man Via Ardent
Whiddon, via full-service marketing agency Ardent, joins forces with Heinz for a limited-edition run of ‘Ken Cans’ to honour Australia’s oldest man, Ken Weeks, on his 110th birthday.
In a heartwarming collaboration brought to life by innovative full-service marketing agency, Ardent, award-winning aged care service provider Whiddon has joined Australia’s most-loved baked beans brand Heinz in celebrating the 110th birthday of Kenneth ‘Ken’ Weeks.
Already recognised as Australia’s oldest known living man, Ken’s incredible legacy has been further immortalised with personalised cans of his favourite food – baked beans. The special limited edition run of 300 ‘Ken Cans’ were kindly produced and donated by Heinz, with each can featuring Ken’s portrait and a special birthday message.
Proving that Heinz Baked Beans have been an enduring favourite for Australians across generations, the one-time collaboration was coordinated by Ardent’s PR team and inspired by one man’s simple love for baked beans and the passion of his care team at Whiddon.
The tradition of gifting Ken a hamper of Heinz baked beans first started when Ken entered the care of Whiddon Grafton at the age of 105. Each year, a dedicated team of Whiddon care staff have treated Ken to a hamper surprise. In celebration of his 110th milestone, Whiddon approached full-service marketing partner Ardent to explore opportunities to go above and beyond for Ken and his favourite breakfast staple.
Recognising the significance and excitement of the ‘Ken Cans’, Ardent's Public Relations & Communications Director, Shannon Muscolino said:
"This collaboration is a fitting celebration and commemoration Ken’s 110th birthday. It has been an honour to work alongside our incredible team with the support of Heinz and Whiddon on this collaboration. Through our full-service partnership with Whiddon, Ardent are incredibly fortunate to bring to life enduring stories of older Australians.”
Alyson Jarrett, Deputy CEO of Whiddon, expressed her excitement for Ken’s milestone on behalf of the Whiddon Grafton community:
"We are incredibly fortunate to have Ken in our care at Whiddon. We would also like to thank the team at Heinz Australia for helping us with this thoughtful gift.”
On the 5th of October, a special event was hosted at Whiddon Grafton marking Ken’s birthday and the surprise unveiling of the 'Ken Cans'. Ken was joined by Whiddon’s CEO Chris Mamarelis, Deputy CEO Alyson Jarrett, Whiddon Grafton's Director of Care Services, Sandra Osborne, and several of his close family members including his son, Ian.
Justine Powell, Head of Marketing at Heinz Australia, said:
"We were thrilled to be part of Ken's 110th birthday celebrations. It’s not every day we see someone with a story as incredible as Ken’s. The limited run of personalised ‘Ken Cans’ is but a small token of appreciation for Ken’s unwavering love for Heinz Baked Beans”.
Ken's story and his immense love of Heinz baked beans, proudy dominated news headlines overnight as Australia joined in unison to celebrate the nation's oldest living man.