But the question of “does it need to taste exactly like the animal version (or bleed like it) to be preferred?” is a good one to reconsider. Plant-based milk’s success suggests otherwise, having grown to almost 15% of milk sales today. No one thinks soy, almond, or oat milk is identical to cow’s milk, but they fill a functional and emotional need for a growing segment of consumers. And I would bet that most of us have both dairy and non-dairy milks in our refrigerators today because they meet different occasions or needs for different members of the family. Think of it as “yes, and?”
Promotion
A well-crafted campaign built on deep consumer insights can change behavior and culture. One of my favorite examples is the Always #LikeAGirl campaign I worked on at Leo Burnett. By finding a deep consumer insight that we leveraged creatively, we changed the meaning of doing something “Like a Girl” from an insult to a compliment.
It built the brand’s equity, grew sales and share, and changed culture globally. Similarly, leveraging deep consumer understanding to find communities that share our purpose and goal can also be a smart way to create a social movement in alternative proteins.
Pricing
Providing value for the consumer is another basic expectation that we must deliver on to succeed, and pricing is an important piece of that. Especially in CPG, when we cede this important P of marketing to other functions, we fail. The current pricing for alternative proteins makes them largely inaccessible to a significant portion of the population, especially younger consumers who are key to the future of the category.
Place
Thinking more strategically about distribution for a new category like alternative proteins is also essential. Simply adding retail doors without considering consumer traction has been the kiss of death for some brands in this space.
Believing that if we place it on the shelf, they will come and buy is an unrealistic strategy given that most startups cannot afford to support all those retailer doors with the significant promotional dollars needed to drive awareness and trial. A more disciplined approach that proves out velocities at the right retailers is critical to success before expanding broadly to more conventional retailers.
The most vital ingredient is consumer trust
Pretending alternative proteins are meat or dairy when they aren’t simply doesn’t persuade anyone and is disrespectful to consumers because it assumes we can fool them. As a newer player in this space, we at Nature’s Fynd have chosen to call our foods what they are: fungi-powered. Not plants, not animals. Yes, it’s risky, but it’s also truthful.