Harvey Choat, MD of comms agency Nexus, explores what fresh produce brands can learn from the best ‘challenger brands’ in food and drink?
In November 2018 an unknown brand called Meatless Farm briefed Nexus to launch a plant-based mince. What proceeded were three years of fast-paced brand-building that put the product in most major UK retailers, operators like Pret a Manger and Itsu, and third in the category for brand awareness (behind Quorn and Linda McCartney). That all cost less than £400,000 – a drop in the ocean compared to Diageo’s £2.6 billion global marketing spend or Warburton’s £3.3 million on advertising. So, what can some of the best so-called ‘challenger brands’ in food and drink teach fresh produce brands?
Over the last decade, food and drink has seen a start-up boom. Pip and Nut (peanut butter), Lucky Saint (alcohol-free beer), Au Vodka, and Trip (CBD-infused drinks) have gone from minnows to mainstream. And all have used the four Ps of marketing (product, place, price and promotion) to great effect.
Breaking media channels down is one of the first knowledge blocks that can help interrogate a challenger’s communication strategy. There’s paid media (TV and outdoor advertising); owned media (a company’s website, social channel, packaging or shop); shared media (a sponsorship deal); and earned media (PR and news). Using this lens helps understand how challengers operate. In most cases, these businesses cannot compete on paid or shared channels and instead have to focus on owned and earned media, where out-creating is essential.
One common strategy is to set a bold vision backed by data. Meatless Farm, for example, worked with food sustainability researcher Dr Joseph Poore to calculate the impact of people eating one more plant-based meal a week. It equated to saving 8.9 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions. This data anchor allowed the brand to focus on creatively activating the message of “swap” on repeat. Saying the same thing over and over in different ways is a sure-fire way to cut through for less. The UK’s first plant-based drive-thru (above) was a good example of that.
The real conundrum is deciding on what the message is. More established brands, bigger businesses, and predominantly white-label producers can easily get caught up with too many messages, misbalancing emotional and rational drivers for preference and future demand. Seeking simplicity is a mindset that truly gives challengers the edge. This is attainable for any fresh produce brand willing to cut to the chase.
People and founders also play a central role in most upstarts. Take Luke Boase at Lucky Saint, who champions mental health, which is core to the brand’s proposition, or Amelia Christie at Bold Bean Co, who is focused on eating whole foods. Alignment between a broader cause and a voice in the business means challengers feel like real people. The human touch is something fresh produce brands can capitalise on. Who is the founder, head of innovation, or head of sustainability that can personify everything the brand stands for? Journalists want qualified experts.
There is no silver bullet for fresh produce brands to drive the same velocity and virality as successful challenger brands. However, there is a clear mindset that can drastically improve your chances: a focus on earned and owned media; a clear and meaningful mission backed by data; original creative execution with a message that entertains and takes part in a wider story; and perhaps most importantly, increasing your fascination with the potential upside of creativity.
Could this move the dial and is the downside negligible? If so, then get in the market and act.
