Over the last few years, veganism has really taken off in the UK and worldwide. With approximately 1.6 million people in the UK now embracing the vegan diet. It’s not just individuals that are getting into the vegan spirit, with major brands like Greggs, Heinz and a few of our own clients like Simpsons Fish and Chips and Naughty Vegan producing vegan products and alternatives to suit those who have welcomed the vegan lifestyle.
Understanding how to market your vegan products can be difficult as it's still quite a new concept to many brands. We’re here to help with our top 5 ways on how to do vegan marketing properly.
When Greggs announced that they’d be launching a new vegan sausage roll in 2019 they did so using a comical, over dramatised video that broke down the ‘features’ of the infamous vegan sausage roll. From its ‘vegan core’ to its ‘optimal flake resolution’ their video acknowledged all parts of the baked vegan good, paired with the hashtag #vegansausageroll.
The announcement of their vegan sausage roll was perfectly timed, as it coincided with Veganuary, where people commit to not eating any animal products for the whole month of January.
Their vegan marketing strategy didn’t stop there, anticipating some backlash from the public, Greggs amped up their social media strategy. This saw the official Greggs Twitter account sarcastically replying to those who were outraged by the vegan announcement, including a funny response to Piers Morgan, who was less than impressed by the new launch. Piers preceded the release of the vegan sausage rolls tweeting to his huge number of followers: “Nobody is waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns”. Digital Brand Manager of Greggs Neil Knowles, replied from their Newcastle headquarters, within a few minutes saying “Oh hello Piers, we’ve been expecting you.”
Their witty and lighthearted responses to those that were less than impressed by the meat free alternative was a great way to engage their audience, keeping people talking about the product and increasing anticipation for its release. It was a clear success, with vegans and non-vegans raving about the vegan sausage roll on the first day of trying it, and many branches across the country even selling out on the first day. The vegan sausage roll now has a permanent place on the Greggs menu, 3 years later and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
In January 2020, the food giant, Heinz, launched a vegan marketing campaign that saw them relabel all of their beans tins. They changed their memorable slogan from ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz’ to the catchy ‘Beanz Meanz Vegan’. The campaign along with its simple headline went down a treat with fans of the brand, whether they were vegan or not.
Heinz’s clever campaign, not only acknowledged the growing vegan population, it also educated consumers and playfully reminded everyone that their product is free of animal products, including the no-added sugar variety that formerly contained honey. Their catchy strapline managed to put this to the forefront of their consumers minds. In a more general sense the campaign successfully showcased vegan food that wouldn’t break the bank. A lot of people’s perception of vegan products is that they have to be expensive and ultra fancy. Heinz beans are cheap and cheerful, keeping it real and catering to vegans at a time when their numbers are growing.
For those who were trialling veganism during Veganuary, Heinz is a simple and familiar solution for any new vegans who may be struggling for meal ideas and they’re a brand the nation knows and trusts. The labels were only limited edition, but a great way to spark conversation and encourage vegan marketing for their brand.
It's true when they say people eat with their eyes. Award-winning fish and chips shop, Simpsons Fish and Chips, went beyond the traditional fish and chips experience with a variety of new vegan options added to their menu. From tofish, fralapenos and even vegan patties they covered it all to celebrate World Vegan Month.
They used veganism as an opportunity to try new flavours and capture a larger audience, making it possible for vegans to enjoy food from a fish and chips shop with a difference. With the support of social media they showcased their new vegan dishes that came packaged in their fish and chip boxes to really add to the authentic experience. A great way to get people excited to try your vegan food and products is by showing it off as the norm, ensuring everyone feels included in the typical experience within your business.
The reason why a lot of people may have initial reservations about trying vegan products is because they look different to what they’re used to. Making sure you include tasty images that are just as mouth-wateringly delicious looking and, tasting of course, as your non-vegan products is essential when creating your vegan marketing strategy.
A vegan brand we’ve loved working with is Cookoo. Their brand ambassador, Christian Day, an ex-rugby player and Masterchef contestant, was passionate about promoting vegan food on social media. He published and engaged with his 17.3k following on social media, to showcase Cookoo’s vegan range to a new digital-focused audience.
Using social media food influencers is a great way to directly target consumers and reach new customers too. It sparks immediate interest when someone with a large following shares a food recommendation and naturally through word of mouth and sharing this on social media more people will want to try your products. It also makes your brand more personable, as you’re not behind the pushing of your own product, a real person is doing this for you instead which is a nice change and fulfils consumers with trust. Their sweet and savoury vegan products were shown off by the influencer and worked really well with onboarding new customers.
We also had fun working with Naughty Vegan, a vegan brand with a difference. They have a cheeky and distinct brand personality which really bodes well when trying to stand out in the vegan market. When creating their brand identity we knew it had to be bold, full of character and differentiate Naughty Vegan from any other competition.
It was important that their brand attracted customers and stood out on the shop shelves. The best way to do this was to be bold and fun with their packaging, using bright yellow and playing on the naughty vs nice narrative with their images. With vegan pasties adorned with halos and their sausage rolls wearing devil horns. The creative copy lines like ‘no piggy in the middle rolls’ for their sausage rolls also add to their branding and set them apart from the ordinary plant-based company’s.
Making sure your brand doesn’t get lost in the crowd is essential when vegan marketing. As the years have gone on there are more brands hopping on board the vegan train, meaning there's more competition. Don’t be afraid to stand out, be bold, clever and creative to ensure your brand has a distinct personality of its own.
Since their brand launched, Naughty Vegan have been acknowledged in The Grocer New Product Awards which honours for the greatest innovation and creativity in the food and drink industry.
As veganism grows in popularity within the UK, brands need to make sure that they’re marketing their vegan products and brands in the right way. By following these 5 ways on what you should do to market vegan properly, it will help your brand’s vegan marketing strategy grow from strength to strength.
If you’re looking to launch a new vegan product, and would like a hand in organising your marketing strategy get in touch with our creative team!
Image sources:
1) https://www.marketingweek.com/masters-brand-of-the-year-2019-shorltlist-greggs/
3) https://simpsonsfishandchips.com/5-vegan-dishes-enjoy-simpsons/
4) https://eat-marketing.co.uk/naughty-vegan-branding/
Over the past few years, there’s been a definite shift towards plant based eating and now the vegan food boom seems to be everywhere.
In fact in April 2021, The Vegan Society hit an all time record after registering the 50,000th vegan food product with their official trademark, following more than 15,000 new products registered in 2020 alone.
And with almost 600,000 sign-ups for Veganuary in 2021, the popularity surrounding the meat-free movement sees no sign of slowing down. But with a rapid rise in brands entering the market, how can your vegan food packaging design stand out on supermarket shelves?
When it comes to new food launches, companies are putting a lot of effort into their vegan food packaging designs as they can see it is not just vegans who are interested in plant based foods, but also those looking for healthy meat-free options too. There can often be a stigma that some vegan food (especially meat alternatives) isn’t as healthy as it seems, so your packaging really needs to reflect the health benefits.
But what about vegan food perceptions? The interest in plant based foods may be rising, yet there is still a perception amongst some that vegan food lacks flavour. This means when it comes to your packaging design it should be fun, attractive and enticing, reflecting the new exciting wave of tastes and flavour combinations seen in the market. Here are some examples we feel do this really well...
This is not just vegan food, this is M&S vegan food
The Marks & Spencers Plant Kitchen range is a great example of vegan food packaging design that looks as good as the food inside. The full range consists of 60 products including burgers, pizzas, curries and drinks.
The design for the Plant Kitchen range is deliberately informal and both the packaging design and recipes draw inspiration from street food and foodie festivals.
It’s fresh, modern and has that artisan effect with its cool blue hues on the cardboard covering. The colour used is also the opposite colour in the colour wheel of the food itself, which immediately makes it stand out more. The aim was for the packaging to reflect the superior taste of the food inside, as well as communicate to the consumer that the meals unleashed the power of plants in every mouthful.
We’re particularly taken with the unusual blue packaging colour. It’s an important part of the design as the colour was specifically created for the brand, so it’s not only category-defining but it also stands out from other ranges in store. We also love that the font has been adapted to reflect the organic shapes of leaves within the letters, such as in the A and the H.
Clean, delicious-looking photography and playful food descriptions such as ‘dirty fries’ and ‘chilli non-carne’ also add a distinctive, playful edge.
One way to ensure your food packaging catches customers’ eyes is by adding a dose of fun to your designs. Your packaging is a perfect place to show your personality and by adding humour or playful interaction with your audience, it can help humanise your brand creating a hook to entice repeat customers.
Vegan pastry and pudding business Naughty Vegan does just this in their product packaging. Playing on the ‘naughty vs nice’ concept in relation to their name, you’ll find pasties adorned with illustrated angel wings and halos on their packaging, alongside sausage rolls kitted with devil horns.
The overall effect is fun, cheeky and intrigues the customer to find out more about the food.
The Meatless Farm Company is another plant based food business whose aim is to make meat-free meals delicious. Their product range can be found in supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and as with M&S’s Plant Kitchen range, you can clearly see the products through the packaging.
However, when it comes to the actual vegan food packaging design, it’s very different. The simple illustrations and strapline ‘Lovingly Made From Plants’ is designed to feel friendly and even quite homely.
The font used feels organic and welcoming, whilst the illustrations create a friendly feeling, reassuring customers into feeling comfortable and confident in choosing The Meatless Farm’s food.
It’s not just in store vegan products that are going for eye-catching packaging designs either, as a growing appetite for ‘dishes to your door’ has seen a whole range of new companies crop up to meet demand, including Cookoo.
Cookoo have been creating award-winning indulgent desserts and savoury dishes for restaurants for over 30 years, but when the world changed and dining in became the new dining out, they launched their own vegetarian and vegan range for customers to order directly to their door.
We love their mission to offer restaurant-quality dishes and even food ambassador Christian Day has been involved in developing the recipes. The design is so eye-catching too, with bright, bold colours and images that reflect the delicious food photography used on their website.
From introducing illustration, patterns and bright colours, to creating cheeky personalities or unique colour palettes, choosing your vegan food packaging design will have a huge impact on whether customers choose to buy your food. Just as you took the time to nail your recipe, taking the time to perfect your packaging design will help see your sales increase.
Gluten free… dairy free… wheat free… nut free… these are phrases we are hearing more and more, and food businesses are starting to take note that catering for people with special dietary requirements is good for their profits - and their reputation.
Dishes that cater for people with special dietary requirements are widely available now, what a difference to ten years ago when it was virtually unheard of to warn about nuts in dishes, or to offer gluten/wheat free alternatives. Advancements in nutrition and an awareness of foods that can affect us has seen the number of people with food allergies rise quite quickly here in the UK with over one million adults indicating allergies or intolerances to certain foods. Yet, so many fast food businesses are still losing out on profits - an estimated £1m a year - from the gluten free market alone, even though adopting a ‘special dietary requirements’ area for your fast food business is easier than you think. People with special dietary requirements are fed up with having to hunt around for food they can eat, they want to feel catered for – and included. Being aware of allergies and intolerances, catering for them, and putting the right procedures in place, will enhance your reputation as a forward thinking food business that cares about the different dietary requirements of its customers.
Sounds interesting, but not sure where and how to start? Talk to us. Here at Eat Marketing, we can help you put together a range of allergy friendly options for your menu, as well as discuss which allergens you could concentrate on that would fit in with your business and the foods that you offer. The long-term benefits will ensure that any initial investment you make is worthwhile and the changes do not have to be vast. Just three or four items on your menu can make all the difference, and allergy checklist sheets, a little staff training and letting people know about these exciting new additions complete the process. You may even want to go further and create a whole new gluten free menu, vegetarian specials or nut free specials, etc.
If you would like to know more about catering for different dietary requirements, contact us today for a no obligation chat, you’ll be surprised at just how easy it is to do – and what a difference it can make. We look forward to hearing from you.