I find myself in the supermarket, surrounded by stand-up comedians vying for my attention in the alternative milk aisle. One carton taunts me with the phrase “Drink to avoid Fear Of Missing Oat,” while another boldly demands that I “slurp, gulp, guzzle.” Further down the aisle, the meatless meats are eager to strike up a conversation. A packet of not-bacon greets me with a friendly “Hello,” and insists that I won’t be able to tell the difference between its product and actual bacon. Some plant-based lardons even want to talk about “our buddy Mr. Piggy.” Meanwhile, a packet of smoked tempeh boasts a flavor that’s as seductive as a secret agent emerging from the sea.
Why do these plant-based products think it’s acceptable to talk to me in this manner? Well, apart from Linda McCartney, who maintains her composure under the bright lights, the rest of them are relatively new players in the meat-free market. With the rise of vegan start-ups in recent years, Tesco now offers over 400 vegan products, marking a nearly 50% increase since 2019. While traditional meat sausages emphasize their long-standing history, newer brands take a different approach, employing creative and humorous tactics to win over consumers.
To understand the reasoning behind this bold style of marketing, I turn to John Schoolcraft, the chief creative officer of Oatly, a 29-year-old dairy alternative brand. When he joined Oatly in 2012, he was tasked with making the drink appealing to a wider audience beyond those who were lactose-intolerant. Schoolcraft dismantled the company’s marketing department and replaced it with what he dubbed the “Oatly Department of Mind Control.” Faced with a limited budget, he opted to rely on packaging as a form of advertising.
According to Schoolcraft, he was a rule-breaker who had the authority to veto any idea except those of the CEO. He believed that marketing departments were too focused on safety and security, often stifling creative ideas. Via Zoom, Schoolcraft explains, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes behind his 1970s-style glasses, that self-referential messages on Oatly cartons downplayed nutritional information as “the boring side,” while enticing consumers with the promise of an upgrade hidden inside the carton. In the past, the company had even printed “This tastes like sh*t!” on their packaging, quoting an actual customer comment. Schoolcraft’s sole rule is to be “consistently inconsistent,” even going so far as to include his email address on the back of crème fraîche lids. During our conversation, Schoolcraft emphasizes that his personal beliefs and values shape his work, denouncing the single-minded pursuit of profits and emphasizing the need for authenticity in people’s lives.
But why do vegan food brands continue to adopt this conversational and rebellious tone? Aren’t they still companies with legal and PR representatives who keep them in check? After speaking with Schoolcraft, I receive an email from Oatly’s PR agency, clarifying that his views on anti-capitalism are his own and not necessarily reflective of Oatly as a whole. It becomes clear that vegan brands may be cool disrupters, but they still operate within the boundaries of corporate structure.
One notable player in the rebellious branding game is THIS, a London-based plant-based company founded four years ago. Their packaging takes on a tone that might even make Schoolcraft clench his teeth. One of their product descriptions begins with: “THIS™ is plant-based food for meat loverssss yesss wee knowwwwww iiiit’s on EVERYYY PACCKKKKKKKK.” This style of packaging went viral in October 2021 when a Twitter user shared a screenshot of the description, mistakenly believing it was the work of an overworked Tesco employee. However, the copy actually came from THIS and underwent several layers of approval before making it onto the packaging.
Curious to learn more about the origins of THIS’s unique style, I reached out to the company. They confirmed that the copy was written by a former employee but could not disclose the individual’s name. Through LinkedIn, I managed to contact Lauren Tenner, a former employee of THIS who wrote the now-famous packaging. Tenner, who gained recognition on TikTok for her content on sex and food, explains that she joined THIS as the 10th employee after running her own catering company. In her interview with the company’s founder, she was tasked with making him laugh, resulting in unconventional questions about her worst enemy and her mother’s opinion of her.
Tenner describes the hiring process as more of an entertainment audition than a traditional interview. She started as an intern and quickly rose to the position of community manager, responsible for social media and back-of-pack copy. THIS wanted their packaging to sound personable and shareable on social media, catering to the young women who were their primary consumers. Tenner admits that the style of writing at THIS was not her natural instinct and considered it to be “very millennial tech bro.” She believes that challenger brands like vegan foods have to work harder to grab consumers’ attention compared to more established companies. Copywriters at founder-led vegan companies essentially act as ghostwriters, catering their writing style to the specific individual’s sense of humor.
Tenner discloses the true origin story of the infamous bio, explaining that she had submitted numerous clever and funny options for back-of-pack copy that were all rejected. As the deadline approached, she sent her boss what she considered to be “gibberish” out of frustration, only to find out that he loved it. While Tenner admits that she doesn’t particularly love the style herself, she recognizes that it resonates with the target audience.
In the end, the cheeky, conversational tone of vegan food brands can be attributed to their status as disrupters in the market. They strive to differentiate themselves and capture consumers’ attention through unconventional marketing strategies. Yet, even with their rebellious branding, they still operate within the confines of corporate structure and have legal and PR representatives to oversee their messaging.
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