Large companies are increasingly looking for new ways to link up and engage with their customers, and when they do, it can throw up some interesting ideas.

Heinz recently ran a campaign via their Facebook page in which customers could sign up to send a personalised can of Tomato or Chicken soup to a friend who was unwell. The idea was that this would be a sort of edible ‘Get Well Soon’ card. The cans were delivered within three or four days, adorned by a Heinz style Get Well label bearing the recipient’s name.

Apparently the campaign was a big success when measured by the amount of activity it generated on Twitter and other social media sites. You may not manufacture soup, but the obvious question to ask yourself here is whether there is some way you could produce a personalised version of your product which customers might pay to have sent to friends. If there is, it could generate both revenue and valuable PR.