Narayana Health’s World Heart Day campaign turns ketchup into a health reminder. Its “Check-up Sachets” cleverly use everyday snacking moments to nudge Indians toward preventive heart care.
As part of a nationwide activation across Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, the healthcare chain replaced ordinary ketchup sachets with lookalike “Check-up Sachets.”
Ketchup is practically a sidekick to every craving. From samosas to vada pav, no snack feels complete without that little red sachet. But what if that familiar squeeze of tomatoey goodness came with a heart check instead of just a flavour kick?
This World Heart Day, Narayana Health pulled off a clever guerrilla marketing stunt that did exactly that—turning condiment into conversation with its campaign, “Check-up Sachets.”
As part of a nationwide activation across Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, the healthcare chain replaced ordinary ketchup sachets with lookalike “Check-up Sachets.” To unsuspecting snackers, they appeared perfectly normal — until opened. Inside was a folded note that read: “Cravings may come suddenly. Heart troubles don’t.”
A QR code directed people to Narayana Health’s preventive heart check-up booking page, bridging the gap between awareness and action in the most snackable way possible.
On the flip side, the sachet listed “ingredients for a healthy heart” — exercise, hydration, stress control, fiber, good fats, and regular check-ups — in place of the usual tomato and vinegar breakdown. It was a subtle yet striking twist on how health communication can live beyond billboards and hospital brochures.
The sachets were distributed with popular snacks at cafes and food joints, creating social chatter both online and offline. The brilliance lay in its simplicity — a tiny object that people interact with daily became a trigger for preventive care awareness.
Heart ailments remain one of India’s top health concerns, now affecting a younger demographic in their 30s and 40s. Lifestyle-linked factors — poor diet, lack of exercise, and mounting stress — are fueling the numbers. But what most people don’t realize is how preventable much of it is with timely health checks.
That’s exactly the behavioral insight this campaign tapped into. By reaching people not through clinics or ads, but through their favorite street snacks, Narayana Health flipped the script on healthcare communication — from clinical to contextual.
“Great ideas don’t always need billboards. Sometimes, they fit inside a ketchup sachet,” said Dr. Ashish Bajaj, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Narayana Health. “With ‘Check-up Sachets,’ we’ve turned preventive care into a conversation starter in the most surprising places. If this campaign makes someone pause, smile, and think about their heart — then we’ve succeeded.”
Abhishek Misra, Country Head – Brand & Marketing, Narayana Health, added, ““The brilliance of ‘Check-up Sachets’ lies in its simplicity. Ketchup is universal. By turning it into ‘check-up,’ we’ve made preventive healthcare part of daily life. This kind of creative storytelling helps bring serious health topics into everyday moments — even over a plate of snacks. After all, if we never forget to add ketchup to our samosas or rolls, why forget a heart check-up? It’s our playful nudge to say — love your snacks, but don’t skip the check-ups.”
“With ‘Check-up Sachets,’ we’ve shown that even the smallest packaging can deliver a message that sticks — and hopefully, gets people to take that first step toward a healthier heart.”, he added.
For marketers, Check-up Sachets is a masterclass in low-cost, high-concept storytelling. It leverages an everyday touchpoint to drive recall, emotion, and measurable action — all without feeling like a campaign. It’s the kind of idea that makes you wonder why no one thought of it sooner.
With this activation, Narayana Health continues to prove that creativity and compassion can co-exist — and that sometimes, the smallest packages can carry the biggest messages.
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