Breaking Meatless Farm into the Crowded U.S. Market
Program at a Glance
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The Mission
Create awareness and demand for UK plant-based meat company Meatless Farm in the U.S. market, where beloved brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods already owned the majority of market share.
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The Outcome
Secured widespread national and regional exposure for Meatless Farm and its products, as well as established Meatless Farm as a worthy contender against established U.S. brands.
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The Impact
Piqued consumer and industry interest in Meatless Farm’s products and drove inbound demand from grocery and restaurant prospects.
Services
Strategic Planning
Public Relations
Awards
Gold Stevie Award 2020
Press
135+ press hits across top-tier business, consumer and trade publications. The Wall Street Journal, CNET, USA Today, Bloomberg, Reuter, Fox Business
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The Brief
UK plant-based meat company Meatless Farm, known widely in the UK for its meat-free patties and ground, had seen success selling into European grocery retailers before expanding into the U.S. market.
Despite being a household name in the UK, Meatless Farm was completely unknown in the United States.
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The Challenge
At the time the company entered the U.S., its two dominant competitors still had their first‑movers advantage.
Beyond Meat (NYSE: BYND) had just gone public on the NASDAQ and Impossible Foods had recently rolled out its Impossible Whopper at Burger King, among thousands of other QSR and restaurant locations.
And like Meatless Farm, a number of other U.S. brands were also gearing up to introduce their plant-based meat alternatives to American audiences.
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TAKING MEATLESS FARM TO MARKET
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We arranged 1:1 interviews with key U.S. business and trade outlets, including Bloomberg, Reuters and Cheddar, and secured coverage in major news outlets across the country.Entering U.S. Media Conversations — and Staying in Them
Meatless Farm had recently secured a contract with Whole Foods Market stateside. We leveraged the company’s debut in the grocer’s 450 store locations to make Meatless Farm’s presence known, both to U.S. consumers and other grocery retailers and restaurants who might carry its products in the future.
We maintained market momentum by reinforcing the company’s expansion into the U.S. with news of its new CMO, a former executive at Coca-Cola.
We then transformed every other business initiative, no matter how big or small, into an opportunity to speak to a now attentive media.
This fast-follow strategy officially transformed the market newcomer into a brand to watch.
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“In a market dominated by Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, a new competitor is setting up shop.”
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We secured coverage for Meatless Farm’s out-of-home advertising campaign in media outlets including Cheddar, MediaPost and The Drum.
Meatless Farm’s Founder Morten Toft Bech and CVM at Bloomberg’s New York office ahead of a 1:1 interview.
After going live with Cheddar, which films at the New York Stock Exchange, The Meatless Farm team and CVM made time for a quick picture. The British are coming for a piece of the US plant-based alternative meat market, and it's pushing shares of Beyond Meat lower.
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Meatless Farm already had a stronghold in the UK and Europe. Rather than play the role of unwitting newcomer; we helped the brand position as a worthy international opponent to domestic brands.Positioning for Widespread Adoption
The Meatless Farm narrative needed to be far larger than simply, “an unknown UK company enters the U.S. market.”
Instead, we positioned the company as a tried-and-tested UK brand that had already seen immense success overseas.
While its competitors were positioned as technological marvels, we highlighted Meatless Farm’s role as a family friendly brand, building on the company’s founding story of a father creating a product that could be enjoyed by a family with varying dietary restrictions and preferences.
We also differentiated the company’s products based on taste profile. While other products played up their distinctly meaty taste, Meatless Farm’s products had a flavor profile that let families season the meal to their liking, making it easier to incorporate into any meal.
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Should the Meat Aisle Become the Protein Aisle?
Meatless Farm’s products are available in the refrigerated meat aisle, rather than in the frozen section, where many of its competitors’ products live.
We helped Meatless Farm reinforce this differentiator by posing an open-ended question to consumers via media outlets like Cheddar.
One day you could be walking down the “Protein Aisle” instead of the “Meat Aisle” at the grocery store thanks to the rise in plant‑based meat alternatives. The Meatless Farm is one company pushing for the change.
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The Labor Day BBQ kit included branded reusable bags, water bottles, cutlery sets and spatulas along with meat-free burgers and a recipe card.Creating Consumer Demand at Home
To get Meatless Farm product directly into the hands of more than 100 media and influencer contacts, we dreamed up BBQ-inspired Labor Day kits.
This press mailer received rave reviews from editors and producers at The TODAY Show, The Rachael Ray Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, Cheddar, Eater, VICE, Thrillist and many more.
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Results
In the first six months of working with Meatless Farm, CVM achieved the following:
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Secured 135+
pieces of press coverage across top-tier business, consumer and trade publications |
Meatless Farm regularly appeared in media coverage side by side with the 2 U.S. category leaders: Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger. |
Meatless Farm was cited as pushing down Beyond Meat’s stock shares after CVM publicized its entry into Whole Foods. |
Increased in-store consumer demand at Whole Foods Market. |
CVM played a key role in driving inbound requests for the previously unknown brand from major U.S. grocery chains, QSR chains, meal kit companies and even airlines. |
Channel V Media Won a 2020 Gold Stevie Award for the Launch of Meatless Farm into the U.S. Market: “Communications Campaign of the Year: Food & Beverage” |
