THIS founders

Pete Sharman (L) and Andy Shovel, founders of THIS © THIS

Investments & Acquisitions

THIS Receives Investment from Television Broadcaster ITV, Announces Pieminister Collaboration

British alt meat brand THIS has announced two new developments — an investment from the UK’s largest commercial television broadcaster, ITV, and a collaboration with pie brand Pieminister. As part of its Media for Equity programme, ITV will subscribe for £1.5 million of shares in THIS, with the option to subscribe for two additional tranches of £1.5 million each. In return, the plant-based meat brand will receive advertising inventory on the broadcaster’s channels and streaming service. It marks the first time ITV has ever invested in a food company. The news follows a string of successes for THIS in 2023, including an international launch in the Netherlands, listings at Boots and WHSmith, and the recent launch of plant-based roast chicken for the holiday season. Earlier …

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Rob Brice Crave

Rob Brice © Crave

Interviews

Crave: “We Have Been the Fastest-Selling of All the Next Big Thing Winners”

This week on UK’s Channel 4 show Aldi’s Next Big Thing, Rob Brice, founder of vegan snack brand Crave, impressed the judges with his veganised versions of British crisp classics. The win secured Rob a retail listing as well as a place in the heart of UK audiences. Crave’s Pickled Onion Monster Feet and Smokey Flavoured Streakers are available on ALDI shelves as of this week. “It goes to show that vegan and free-from can be mainstream,” said Brice upon the win this week. We had to catch up with Rob to find out more! Tell us more about the story behind your vegan snack brand – what made you decide to veganise these British classics? We are all about FOMO (fear of missing out) …

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sacrifice nothing add for the vegetarian butcher

© The Vegetarian Butcher

Marketing & Media

The Vegetarian Butcher Debuts “Sacrifice Nothing” Ad Campaign on Spanish TV

The Vegetarian Butcher, Unilever’s plant-based meat brand, aired its TV commercial, “Sacrifice Nothing,” for the first time in Spain. The spot also highlighted El Gran Capo, the brand’s first vegan chicken breast for sale in the country. As in the spot’s English version, the TV ad in Spanish uses the tagline “sacrifice nothing” to deliver the brand’s intention of becoming a vegan butcher with a double message: the brand’s expertise in mimicking beef, pork, and chicken using vegetables without “sacrificing” meat’s real taste and by not “sacrificing” animals for their meat. The Vegetarian Butcher’s TV campaign intends to reinforce the brand’s mission found in its marketing ads and webpage: “The Vegetarian Butcher is the traditional butcher of the past but with the meat of the future. …

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VFC Founders Adam Lyons and Matthew Glover

©VFC

Marketing & Media

British Meat-Free Brands: Your Marketing Tactics Are (Really) Working

Newly released marketing data from Adimo reveals significant growth in engagement, sales conversion and price comparison activity for British meat-free brands, which have seen a 108% YOY uplift in engagement in Q1 of 2022 due to effective marketing activity. The research finds that the sales conversion rate for meat-free brand activity stands at 14.12% this year — more than double the average for food brand activity of up to 7% — with organic searches as one of the highest converting for the meat-free category at 24.6%, followed by Paid Social, Display, Video and Paid Search respectively. Notable ad campaigns and marketing strategies over recent months within the plant-based category include: VFC’s many campaigns and witty social media engagement; LoveRaw’s mockumentary; Oatly’s OOH / online / …

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Alpha Foods

© Alpha Foods

Marketing & Media

Alpha Foods Wants You to “Grow Your Own Meat” in Unique Campaign

Californian plant-based meat company Alpha Foods has launched an unusual marketing campaign in collaboration with advertising agency Mischief. As part of the campaign the seed kits allow customers to grow the ingredients used in Alpha’s meat alternatives, including its chik’n nuggets, burritos, and pot pies, all of which can be grown and harvested at home.

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Oatly expands in Amazon marketplace to meet the growing demand for oat milk in Europe

© Oatly Germany GmbH

Marketing & Media

Oatly Debuts TV Ads in its Continued Media Domination

The “Oatly Department of Mind Control” presents its largest national moving image campaign to date. Oat drink pioneer Oatly launched its biggest ever campaign in Germany on 15 February. At the centrepiece are five TV spots in which the company introduces viewers to its top sellers Oat Drink Barista Edition, Oat Drink Deluxe, Oat Drink Cocoa and Oat Drink Calcium. Display content from YouTube Click here to display content from YouTube. Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy. Always display content from YouTube Open “Spiral | Oatly Department of Mind Control | Oatly” directly For nearly 30 years, Oatly has been committed to promoting positive social change by consistently highlighting the benefits of plant-based nutrition for both the human body and the climate. The switch to …

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Meatless Farm

©The Meatless Farm Co.

Marketing & Media

The Meatless Farm Drops Soy for Pea Protein, Launches TV Ad Campaign As Part of Growth Strategy

The Meatless Farm has replaced its soy in favour of pea protein in its vegan burgers and sausages, claiming it has a meatier taste than the previous recipe. The company also launches its first TV ad campaign called “Try it”, aiming to convince consumers to try plant-based meat products, as part of its long-term growth strategy.

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Katjes Oat Chocolate

©Katjes

Marketing & Media

Pink-Floyd’s The Wall Artist Designs TV Ad For Vegan Chocolate

The legendary English illustrator Gerald Scarfe, world-famous for the Pink-Floyd cover of The Wall, has created a TV spot for vegan sweets brand Katjes, to promote Chocjes – the first vegan chocolate made completely with oat milk. According to the advertising agency responsible for the campaign, the issue is something close to Scarfe’s heart.

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vegan cake
Society

Amazon Launch Online Vegan Baking Store after TV Show [update – promotion ended]

When much-loved family TV show The Great British Bake-off announced that they would be broadcasting a vegan week, viewers were shocked and some appalled that there would be a baking contest without the traditional use of eggs or dairy, whereas the 7 million UK vegans were happily surprised. The unexpected aftermath of the hit show is that sales of vegan baking products have soared, and 37 percent of respondents to a survey stated they are now more likely to choose a vegan cake as opposed to the traditional kind.

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