Product Awareness + Event Promotion in targeted cities
The makers of an unknown Canadian vegan food brand wanted to launch their product into a less receptive, more vegan-averse American market. Gardein Protein International, the makers of an all-natural meat alternative, had a challenging launch ahead of them. With an unknown brand and a foreign product, they needed to expand their market share beyond the relatively small population of vegans and vegetarians.
Our team positioned Gardein as one solution to America’s mounting health challenges, using the product launch as a vehicle to spark a national conversation about healthful eating. Using consumer marketing, thought leadership, digital strategy and charitable giving not to promote a product, but to inspire and empower individuals to take control of their own health, we created the “Gardein Party” healthy food truck tour. Throughout the Gardein Party tour, samples of three varieties of Gardein were made available at unexpected venues around the country where people were encouraged to sign up for the meat-free challenge. For each person that signed the pledge, we vowed to donate one meal to a local charity.
Supported by an extensive digital and social media strategy, the one-month campaign also featured salon dinners with local health advocates, politicians and media in DC, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta to insert Gardein into a larger, national conversation about the health benefits of reduced meat consumption.
RESULTS
America started talking about and eating Gardein products. In addition to extensive sampling and positive consumer reaction throughout the tour, Gardein donated more than 6,500 meals to local charities and saw consumer online discussions nearly double during the tour. Additionally, Gardein consistently had more positive Twitter sentiment than any of its competitors, gaining more than 2,000 new Twitter followers, drawing nearly 10,000 unique visitors to its campaign microsite and increasing Facebook fans to more than 12,000.
