Dive Brief:
- Impossible Foods launched two new national advertising campaigns timed to summer, according to a press release. The efforts are meant to position the brand as more inclusive and accessible.
- The first campaign, “Making Meat History,” is a 90-second musical advertisement poking fun at the differences between meat and plant-based alternatives. The second campaign, “The Summer of Impossible,” uses shorter spots and comedic dialogues to promote the benefits of plant-based options.
- The two campaigns were handled by agency Super Serious, which was co-founded by actor Terry Crews, and represent the agency’s debut. Strategy for the effort sees Impossible leaning more into traditional media than it has in the past.
Dive Insight:
Impossible Foods is going big this summer, tapping into new marketing muscle from Terry Crews’ Super Serious to generate creative designed around approachability. The tie-up marks the debut of Super Serious, also founded by Matthew O’Rourke and Paul Sutton, a choice credited to the three founders’ appreciation of Impossible’s purpose, per release details.
Both of Impossible’s new efforts take a comedic approach to plant-based options, which could help the brand resonate with new audiences. The first campaign, “Making Meat History,” notably leans on music to paint a picture of the long-spanning history of meat, as told by a musical “historian” who eventually introduces plants as a “new animal.” The 90-second spot debuted on June 11 during the Tony Awards and is directed by Jake Scott.
The second campaign, “The Summer of Impossible,” utilizes shorter, product-focused vignettes to again tout the benefits of plant-based alternatives, playfully pairing an Impossible Burger and a burger made with animal meat for spots reliant on quippy back-and-forth dialogue. The brand will continue unveiling new spots under the campaign throughout the summer.
The two campaigns are meant to communicate to consumers that the choice to buy plant-based products does not have to come at the expense of eating meat, according to Leslie Sims, chief marketing and creative officer of Impossible Foods.
“We want consumers to know they don’t have to give up the meat they love. Impossible products are meat – just made from plants – so they’re still delicious and have a ton of other benefits,” said Sims in the release.
The latest efforts by Impossible mark a departure from its typical marketing strategies, which have historically included high-profile partnerships, word-of-mouth and earned media as opposed to sustained traditional advertising, per the release. The moves are also some of the first under Sims, who joined the team in January after most recently serving as a top marketer for Deloitte Digital.
A heavy marketing push by Impossible also comes as the larger plant-based industry finds itself in a bit of a slump. Last year, competitor Beyond Meat saw stock slump and market gains begin to stall. In the first financial quarter of 2023, Beyond Meat saw net revenue fall 15.7% year-over-year, while Impossible Foods has yet to go public.
