Mischief @ No Fixed Address has shown its mastery of surprising ideas again, this time for plant-based protein company, Alpha Foods. If A Plant Can Be Meat is a cheeky open-ended proposition that makes you stop and think. The stories that it has birthed, even more so. Behind the humour is the idea that small decisions to choose plant-based meals can make a positive impact on everyday lives. More importantly, Mischief has found a new way to trigger interest in Alpha Foods’ products in a category that’s very noisy.
The campaign’s quirky commercials and out-of-home ads are running across both paid and organic channels.
Kevin Mulroy, partner & executive creative director at Mischief, added, “Most vegan brands talk about or showcase images of their products to convince their audience of the food’s taste and texture. We saw an opportunity to work with a disruptive brand that also wanted to start a new conversation. We thought, if Alpha can taste so much like real meat that it almost seems impossible, let’s have fun highlighting this through small, meaningful moments to show that anything really is possible.”
The unconventional campaign comes on the heels of Alpha’s Grow Your Own Meat kits, also by Mischief, which invited consumers to grow and harvest their own plant-based chik’n nuggets, burritos and pot pies from home using non-GMO seeds. The kits sold out in six hours and Alpha racked up more than 21,000 kit orders within 24 hours of launching.
“The Grow Your Own Meat kits brought more consumer awareness for our diverse range of plant-based products and demonstrated how plants can be a viable and delicious alternative to meat,” stated Kierstin De West, Alpha’s chief marketing officer. “With the launch of If A Plant Can Be Meat, we’re continuing to showcase the ease in which meatless diets can be implemented into our everyday lives by making small changes to what we buy and eat. These changes can bring about a positive impact to our health, without harming our planet.”
In just the past year alone, the US plant-based alternative industry has grown 27% to become a US$7 billion market, according to Good Food Institute. Alpha, which launched in 2015 to encourage eaters of all preferences to enjoy more plant-based options without sacrifice, has raised more than US$37 million to date and its products are available in grocery stores across the country including Walmart, Albertsons, Safeway, Publix, Kroger, Sprouts, and Whole Foods.
