Vegan Nightmare: Plant-Based Daiya Brand Touts Real Beef Cheeseburgers in New Ad

Cheeseburgers sizzling on a hot grill are as American as apple pie, baseball and monster trucks.

But a real meat burger topped with plant-based cheese? In this highly polarized environment—when food choices can fuel bare-knuckle battles along political lines—whose head is likely to explode first at this concept, a vegan or a carnivore?

Daiya, a Canadian brand that has pushed boundaries in its category in the past, is going full sacrilege—and out on a limb—in the latest iteration of its continuing campaign, “100% Plant-Based, Even If You’re Not.”

The new work, from longtime agency of record TDA Boulder, makes sure there’s no confusion about what viewers are seeing. Narration clearly identifies the provenance of the burgers and toppings. And while acknowledging that it’s basically blasphemous and outside the marketing norm to intermingle the two, the brand suggests a truce with the tagline, “Enough controversy—let’s eat.”

Trying to counter the “bougie sentiment” and “elitist attitude” of the plant-based industry and appeal to the mainstream, creatives decided to address the animal-versus-plant issue head-on, with full blessing from the brand, per Jonathan Schoenberg, TDA Boulder’s executive creative director and partner.

“We should’ve had this conversation two years ago, and we’ve had our heads down a little bit,” Schoenberg said of the industry broadly. “It’s a safe bet to talk to the loyalists, so let’s start talking to that larger audience. If we don’t, we’re fringe companies.”

By taking this approach, the brand stands virtually alone in the industry in touting Big Beef and a plant-based product in the same commercial, advancing a no-judgment, mix-and-match mentality.

Controversial, but not?

It’s both puzzling and also inevitable that a simple, stripped-down 30-second ad centered on a backyard barbecue could cause an argument. But the brand is ready for any potential blowback from its hardcore vegan or vegetarian fans.

The goal of the spot, called “Not So Controversial,” is to be inclusive, appealing to the massive addressable audience in the U.S. that sometimes swaps out meat for its substitutes, often referred to as omnivores or flexitarians. 

“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.

“The more people eating this food, the better—better for the environment, better for human health, better for animal welfare,” Schoenberg said. “We’re thinking about how we can have a long-term impact. These companies matter, and we need to make them relevant to more buyers.”

The campaign, which includes a relaunch of Daiya’s website, will run on connected TV and other video outlets, social platforms such as Meta and Pinterest and Spotify audio in the U.S. and Canada.