With the explosive growth of meat startups like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods,
GenZ is, in part, shaping the trend and forcing brands to hop on the faux meat ferry full speed ahead. Market research firm Y-Pulse found that “plant-based menus” are one of the dining options that colleges’ and universities’ youngest students desire most. Brands like Burger King, Del Taco and Dunkin’ are all embracing the fake meat items and reimagining marketing strategies to reflect a commitment to plant-based options.
While meatless burgers are in hot demand, some believe that brands’ marketing of fake meat is misleading. This year, Mississippi and Arkansas filed federal lawsuits to control how veggie-based alternatives are marketed, looking to ban the use of meat-related terminology to describe meatless menu items. Regardless, the food category is growing at lightning speed as global sales of plant-based meat is expected to exceed $5.2 billion by 2020, according to Allied Market Research.
Here’s a closer look at the approach brands are taking when it comes to marketing meatless alternatives to the masses.
Burger King
To celebrate the roll-out of Impossible WHOPPERS earlier this year, the brand launched an Impossible WHOPPER van that stopped at each new market with games, music and free merchandise. The fast-food chain decided to expand the meatless alternatives to all stores after its St. Louis sales rose 28 percent thanks to the Impossible option. In Sweden, Burger King introduced two plant-based options to its “50/50 Menu.” The brand said it would give customers either a meat sandwich or a plant-based one without telling them which in order to encourage fans to scan the sandwich box with the Burger King app and make a guess.
Del Taco
In April, Del Taco was the first Mexican-American chain to debut tacos made with Beyond Meat. The company launched a #MeatlessMonday promotion encouraging fans to buy two Beyond Tacos for four dollars using The Del Taco app.
Dunkin’
The beloved donut-coffee brand introduced the Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich at select Dunkin’ restaurants in Manhattan with plans for a future national rollout. To promote the partnership, Dunkin’ published a short video spot on Instagram highlighting the amount of protein in each sandwich. Dunkin’ also held a tasting event at participating Manhattan restaurants.
Arby’s
In a bizarre effort to simultaneously embrace and shun the trend, Arby’s released a video spot that shows its executive chef creating a turkey-based carrot. The “Marrot,” as Arby’s calls it, echoes the brand’s dedication to meat, as it has stated it will never offer fake meat products on its menu.
Birds Eye
Popular British brand Birds Eye launched a $2.5 million marketing mass media campaign to spread the word about its new Green Cuisine range of meatless products. The brand, which is currently present in 75 percent of UK households, started raising awareness for its Green Cuisine via a television spot featuring vampires who attend a convention and accidentally eat meatless burgers but enjoy them.
White Castle
In late 2018, the legacy burger joint released the Impossible slider to New York, New Jersey and Chicago, marking its first foray into meat alternatives. After experiencing a shortage of Impossible Sliders, White Castle released BBQ Impossible Sliders. The savory sliders were promoted via a 10-second video spot showing cowboys express their amazement over the plant-based burgers.
Carl’s Jr.
The brand launched a Beyond Meat version of its Famous Star burger in January 2019. As part of its #CarlsSummer100 contest, the brand posted content highlighting the meatless burger on Instagram and prompted users to submit original content showcasing how they celebrate summer with Carl’s Jr.
