Quorn, the OG of meat replacers, launches a new campaign in the UK. Marketing director @Alex Glen says the messaging of Quorn’s brand stories changes angle from health benefits to environmental awareness. Around me, I hear 12-year-olds refuse to fly to holiday destinations with their parents, because ‘the world will go to shit’. So I completely get the relevance of that message. Smart move of creative shop Mawhinney Collins to tell the story through the eyes of kids: cute polar bears, climate change, spag bowl, happy dinner table, solved. Or as they say: a step in the right direction. A complex message told in a straight forward way.
In the world of meat alternatives, taste is a hot issue. It’s not always great. So marketers tend to not beat the drum too loudly about taste. But Quorn takes this to a whole new level: ‘It helps reduce our carbon footprint, but doesn’t reduce the taste.’ Apparently, Quorn does not add any taste. Or smell, or texture. But, good news buddy, it doesn’t mess up your meal either! That’s like telling your date she doesn’t look awful tonight or telling the chef that his meal will most probably stay in.
Great taste is a condition for a food brand to reach maturity and gain a substantial and consistent market share. Food marketers in the sustainable segment often do not speak the language of delicious: they have other features that make them unique. I hope we are growing towards a market in which sustainability is a condition too. How to get there? I’m not an expert. Hopefully, then we can stop being apologetic about taste and get back to talking about what really moves and makes people: the food.
Olaf van Gerwen
founder & global creative director of Chuck Studios
