“Our aim is not to convert, but to invite everyone to discover and enjoy the benefits of plant-based eating, showing how our products can add delicious variety to their meals, enhancing the culinary experience for all, regardless of dietary choices,” per Daiya chief marketing officer John Kelly.
The brand is also using the video, with its appetizing food porn shots, to introduce new dairy-free cheddar slices made with a proprietary oat cream blend. In previous ads, Daiya has acknowledged openly that dairy substitutes lagged behind their animal-based counterparts in taste and texture, which again separated it from the competitive pack.
‘Taste with our eyes’
The average American eats three hamburgers per week, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so Daiya’s use of the familiar backdrop and picnic staple is a good way to help rewire consumers’ brains, industry watchers say.
“This appeal to tradition is used to dissuade consumers from seeing the product as an ‘alternative,’” Jennifer Stojkovic, founder of the influential Vegan Women Summit and general partner at venture capital firm Joyful Ventures, told ADWEEK.
The takeaway for many consumers may likely be the “melt and stretch” of the Daiya product in the video, which counteracts the longstanding criticism of products in the segment as rubbery and artificial, Stojkovic said.
“Many brands make the mistake of overwhelming consumers with information that is irrelevant to a food purchasing decision—Daiya has done the exact opposite,” she added. “We taste with our eyes, and they surely know it.”
Vegan minority
Brands like Daiya “have no choice” but to target meat eaters, Stojkovic said, at a time when 44% of U.S. households purchase plant-based dairy and only 3% buy plant-based cheese. Vegans and vegetarians combined account for only about 8% of the population, while 72 million households say they’re flexitarian, as does more than one-half of Generation Z, per a Numerator study.
“Not So Controversial” intends to promote the newly reformulated Daiya product, while having an eye on boosting the segment overall and reigniting some flagging interest in plant-based brands.
