Fans of the cream of chicken and cream of tomato soups can send a can with their loved-one’s name on by ‘Liking’ the Heinz Soup UK Facebook page, after which they’re directed to buy.

The can labels are being printed on a Xerox 700 at design, photography, creative and fulfillment agency Magnet Harlequin. The cans are printed at Magnet’s Uxbridge production facility, with the data collated by Heinz’s social media agency We Are Social.

Having delivered this job previously, neither the printing nor data processing involved has proved particularly challenging, according to Magnet Harlequin.

“We get supplied from an Excel spreadsheet then use InDesign data to merge this onto the label artwork,” said Tom Dean, the firm's director of print production. “We have done it so many times now we know exactly what we are doing. We get the spreadsheets in the evening and then it’s printed the next day.”

Richard Baverstock, account director for Heinz, added: “The printing is absolutely the easy part of it and the data handling isn’t a challenge. It’s the postage that can be tricky because obviously the cans can’t fit through letterboxes so that can be tricky if people aren’t in.” 

Magnet Harlequin, which also has an HP Indigo press at another facility in Berkhamsted, has the capacity to print a maximum of around 750 personalised Heinz labels a day. 

This year’s 85-day ‘Get Well’ soup campaign differs from previous years by being backed by a television campaign. Heinz said it anticipated this would increase sales this year. For every can bought, Heinz donates £1 to children's charity Starlight.

Other Magnet Harlequin clients include Tesco, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Costa.

To order a can visit: www.facebook.com/HeinzSoupUK