What’s realer than real meat? Meat from plants

Brand strategy was at the forefront of a revealing session from Jones Knowles Ritchie ’s Lisa Smith and Impossible Foods ' Leslie Sims at D&AD Festival 2024.

Founded to mitigate the climate crisis, Impossible were at a crossroads – despite an innovative product and powerful cause-led story, they faced low awareness, misconceptions about inferior taste and overly scientific packaging.

It was time to reposition and refresh the brand to engage traditional meat lovers in the plant-based movement. After all, this was a product that most consumers said actually tasted and cooked better than animal meat. Better still, it did less harm to the planet.

Backed by a deep understanding of their audience, this approach highlighted the power of authentic and bold messaging, shifting their narrative to focus on product quality first, and environmental benefits second. In the process, they changed perceptions, altered behaviours and tapped into a much larger market.

This talk was part of D&AD Festival 2024, bringing together some of the industry’s leading voices to celebrate creative excellence, and provide a deep dive into the ideas and tools that are shaping the future.

Find out about some of our other learnings from the event on the blog.

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