Marketing matters: 2024’s boldest campaigns so far

The plant-based food and beverage industry is forward-thinking and dynamic, filled with innovators who are passionate about the positive impact of their products and do not shy away from going beyond the norm. As such, it’s unsurprising that brands in this category have been behind some of the F&B sector’s most impactful marketing campaigns in recent years.

In fact, FoodBev Media’s very own World Food Innovation Awards winners for 2024 were announced this week – and the prize for best marketing campaign went to plant-based meat brand Fry’s Family Foods, for its timely launch of a vegan chicken nugget NPD alongside the release of Aardman’s ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’ film in December.

Whether adopting a tongue-in-cheek approach and hitting plant-based cynics with humour, or drawing on more thought-provoking tactics to make consumers question the way that they view food choices, plant-based players know how to get people talking with clever campaigns and bold branding.

Let’s take a look at some of 2024’s most memorable marketing moments so far…

Oatly: Feck Oatly

Known for its witty and dry-humoured approach, Swedish oat milk giant Oatly is constantly pushing the boundaries of marketing with its unique, attention-grabbing campaigns. Described by our editorial director, Sian Yates, as the “rebels of the plant-based world” in The Plant Base’s Veganuary Sessions podcast series this January, Oatly made headlines again that same month – this time for the launch of its ‘Feck Oatly’ campaign in Ireland.

The brand’s ‘It’s Like Milk But Made for Humans’ campaign was banned in Ireland and Northern Ireland following three complaints raised by the National Dairy Council of Ireland. The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland ruled that it infers cow’s milk is unsuitable for human consumption. Following this, Oatly launched ‘Feck-Oatly.com,’ a site showcasing its decisions that have caused the most controversy to date.

The website was unveiled in Dublin and Belfast alongside a censored version of its ‘It’s Like Milk…’ advertisement, displayed across billboards, bus stops, murals and more. Oatly also hosted a comedy ‘roast’ presented by viral TikTok comedian Frankie McNamara, challenging local comedians to attend and poke fun at the brand.

Michael Lee, executive creative director for Oatly, said: “The Feck Oatly campaign is about helping our Irish fans, and haters, get to know Oatly’s punk side and better understand what we’re about as a company”.

“Creating a website detailing the ‘missteps’ we’ve made along the way to creating a more sustainable food system might seem like a risky thing to do, but we see it as an act of transparency because sometimes you have to understand the worst about an oat drink company before you can appreciate the best.”

NotCo: NotSoHappyAnimals

US-based alt-meat and -dairy company, NotCo, was ‘not’ afraid to ruffle some feathers with the launch of its January interactive campaign, NotSoHappy Animals.

The campaign invited consumers to ‘discover the truth behind the fake smiles,’ revealing the true impact of mass factory farming and how animals in the industry are treated. Consumers in the US and Mexico can visit the campaign’s official site and scan logos of happy, smiling cartoon animals at popular restaurants.

Brought to life by augmented reality, the cartoon animals then reveal ‘how they feel about becoming a meal,’ singing songs featuring sombre lyrics about the cruelty behind mass-produced animal-based food, paired with upbeat, jingle-style tunes.

The campaign stirred up debate when NotCo announced it on LinkedIn, with some users applauding its creativity while others questioned whether it would be effective in reaching the type of consumers it targets – those who eat meat. Regardless of whether it converts the most carnivorous, the clever campaign was a clear win when it came to getting people talking about NotCo and the animal welfare issues associated with meat.

Beyond Meat: Taste You Can Believe In

Beyond Meat’s UK Veganuary campaign focused on what many consider to be the biggest barrier to choosing more plant-based meat alternatives: taste.

Combatting the narrative that vegan food lacks in taste and texture, the alt-meat maker took to the roads of Britain in a van handing out free burgers, aiming to help encourage consumers to try something new and make changes.

Beyond’s van visited six locations across six days, including London, Manchester and Bristol, with more than 7,000 burgers consumed during this time. It also displayed several billboards across the capital, emphasising the taste of its products alongside mouthwatering images of its juicy, stacked burgers.

Impossible: ‘Meatier’ brand identity

Within the broader food and beverage industry, rebranding strategies appear to be trending as companies reflect on how their identities have evolved alongside today’s fast-changing trends.

The plant-based market is no exception to this, and meat alternative brand Impossible Foods has embraced its own new brand identity inspired by ‘the craveability’ of meat. The California-based brand has this month unveiled a new, ‘striking’ red aesthetic designed to appeal to the ‘carnivorous cravings’ of meat-eating consumers.

From its digital online presence to the physical packaging of its products, the new bold red branding aims to reinforce the fact that Impossible’s products ‘taste, cook and satisfy’ just as much as their animal-based counterparts.

The new brand strategy is the result of a partnership between Impossible’s in-house marketing and creative teams, and branding agency Jones Knowles Ritchie. Updated packaging has begun rolling out across the US and will continue overseas later this year. Impossible’s new Beef Hot Dog is the first product to feature the red packaging.

Impossible’s rebrand follows a report published by ProVeg International, which surveyed 1,200 participants from both the US and the UK, finding that packaging colour has a significant impact on consumers’ willingness to try plant-based products. The study showed that red is perceived as the ‘tastiest’ colour for packaging, with 56% of consumers in the UK and 54% in the US associating the colour with ‘superior taste’ in plant-based meat.

Interestingly, while green is often used in plant-based products, the report’s researcher and author Ajsa Spahic said that it should be used “in moderation” and “only when your primary objective is to underscore the emphasis on sustainability and health benefits” – with consumers linking the colour green to healthiness, eco-friendliness, naturalness and safety.

Daiya: Fromage Forgery & ‘100% Plant-based, Even If You’re Not’

Plant-based dairy producer Daiya celebrated the recent reformulation of its cheese – now made with its proprietary fermented Oat Cream blend – by taking to the streets of downtown New York City in January and handing out ‘dairy dupe’ grilled cheese sandwiches to over 350 consumers.

In a nod to ‘dupe culture,’ commonly seen in other consumer goods categories such as fashion with the launch of more accessible products that closely resemble those of luxury well-known brands, Daiya hired actor Lionel Boyce to present its ‘uncanny dupe cheese’ to the masses.

Boyce, producer and actor of TV series ‘The Bear,’ took on the role of the ‘Fromage Forgery’ salesman, pitching passers-by with the opportunity to try a grilled cheese sandwich featuring Daiya’s oat-based cheese.

Lionel Boyce as Daiya’s first Fromage Forgery Salesman, an overzealous rookie looking for people to pitch

John Kelly, chief marketing officer at Daiya, commented: “The beauty of contemporary dupe culture is that it opens high-end luxury to the masses. This trend aligns with similar beliefs held at Daiya: that everyone is deserving of a bite of high-quality dairy-free cheese, and nothing should stand in the way.”

Additionally, a TV advert titled ‘100% Plant-based, Even If You’re Not’ caused a stir, aiming to challenge industry norms by pairing Daiya’s plant-based cheese with a meat patty. The daring campaign divided opinion, with some vegan viewers criticising the decision to include meat with the view that plant-based brands should not promote meat consumption.

However, according to Daiya, the advert – launched across various social media, video and audio platforms in the US – aims to ‘extend an open invitation’ for everyone to enjoy the benefits of plant-based food and reach a broad audience with a message of inclusivity.

Daiya’s Kelly commented: “We created the most controversial commercial ever for the category, but when you think about it, it shouldn’t be very controversial at all. Everyone should be able to enjoy the benefits of plant-based eating and we hope to welcome more people to the table.”

The brand worked with long-term agency partner TDA Boulder to develop the campaign. Jonathan Schoenberg, the agency’s executive creative director and partner, described Daiya as a “brave client,” adding that there is a “subtle elitism” that exists in plant-based meat and dairy communication.

He added: “There is a fear of alienating the core plant-based consumer, but in reality the more people trying and enjoying these foods the better off we are, and our planet”.

La Vie: International billboard campaign

La Vie, a French producer of plant-based pork products, unveiled its first international advertising campaign this January with a series of billboards rolled out in the UK, France and the Netherlands.

Coinciding with Veganuary, the brand’s pink billboards featured attention-grabbing messages that garnered over 200 million impressions in cities including London, Brighton and Cardiff, promoting La Vie’s plant-based bacon and lardons.

One such billboard in Shoreditch, east London, embodied the mindset of a ‘greener world where everyone can gather around the table and share a delicious vegan sandwich,’ while another emphasised that Britain’s best bacon is neither ‘from Britain, or a pig’.

The campaign aimed to attract consumers from varying demographics, celebrating diversity and bringing attention to the fact that La Vie’s products can be enjoyed by consumers no matter what their background, religion or dietary preference.