Vital Farms Chooses Gut Miami as New AOR and Moves on From Preacher

Vital Farms stands out among egg producers by its concept of “conscious capitalism,” which benefits all involved in the farming process, from the farmers to the consumers and even the animals.

The company also built up a reputation for standout advertising from agency Preacher. Both Austin, Texas-based companies buoyed each other by producing advertising that went beyond the normal talking farmer spokesperson in a field, highlighting its pasture-raised eggs with vengeful chickens, poultry that takes photos, and calling out corporate farms by showing what cage-free truly means in an effort to keep it “Bullsh*t Free.”

Vital Farms has now parted with Preacher after being with the agency since 2017 and brought in Gut Miami as its agency of record to help drive the next chapter of disruptive brand growth.  

“Gut has a wildly talented team that’s as committed to transparency and bold storytelling as we are,” Kathryn McKeon, CMO at Vital Farms told Adweek. “Together, we believe we can develop transformative creative work that continues to drive awareness for our brand, and for the conviction we have for our purpose to improve the lives of people, animals and the planet through food.”

Gut has already produced its first work for Vital Farms, a Valentine’s Day campaign called “Put an Egg On It” to drive brand awareness when the world was talking about the price of eggs, or “egg-flation.” What came across first as a cheesy black-and-white jewelry ad ended up being a sly play about how to show love through giving someone an egg. It also featured a contest to win a lifetime supply of eggs, and an open letter from Vital Farms’ CEO on the state of the industry.

“We’re going to get people to think differently about the food industry and introduce ourselves to more households,” added McKeon. “There’s real chemistry between our two teams—that was clear throughout the pitch and in our first campaign that launched on Valentine’s Day. Our two teams are going to push one another in the right ways toward big, breakthrough work.”  

That first campaign was developed in less than a week from conception to execution, according to the agency.

“Vital Farms is an incredible brand and we’re excited to work with a client who truly cares about bringing creative ideas to life that are bold and culturally relevant, with our shared goals ultimately being to continue building brand awareness and brand love for them in the long term,” said Andrea Diquez, global CEO at Gut.

Ricardo Casal, North America CCO and partner at Gut told Adweek that the agency wants Vital Farms to be able to focus on what it does best, which is bringing ethical food to tables across the country while the agency focuses on creating culturally-relevant, bold work for Vital Farms that drives long-term brand awareness and loyalty through connecting consumers with Vital Farms’ purpose.

Gut won the business after a competitive pitch. The terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the estimated digital spend for the brand last year was $5 million, according to COMvergence.

“We’re proud of the work we’ve achieved with Vital Farms over six years of keeping it Bullsh*t Free, building up the brand to go public as a certified B Corp, and topping it off with a Cannes Lion for “Hens Behind the Lens,” said Krystle Loyland, co-founder and CEO of Preacher in a statement. “Although we no longer work together, we care too much about the hens and the brand to ever buy any other eggs, and will continue to spread the good word on their behalf.”

While new ideas are in the works between Gut and Vital Farms, the next campaign has not yet been scheduled. The teams are looking for of-the-moment, culturally relevant conversations to join, like the egg-flation work for Valentine’s Day.