Op Ed: Lobber Levin, Senior Strategic Writer, Everland, on Shifting Positioning from “Alternatives” to Mainstream – vegconomist

Lobber Levin is a senior strategic writer at Everland, a Scandinavian-based consumer brand and design agency. They have worked with many clients with a presence in the plant-based industry, including Danone, La Vie, Tindle, OLALA!, Lantmännen, and more.

In this piece, Levin explores why the perception of plant-based and alternative protein products as mere substitutes for traditional meat, fish, and poultry is hindering their mainstream acceptance. From a branding perspective, it’s necessary to appeal to the emotional and sensory experiences of consumers, particularly flexitarians, who constitute a significant portion of the market. Based on his work on brand strategies for vegan brands, he explains the importance of redefining and designing brand experiences that make these products desirable in their own right, rather than as compromises.

Going from Alternative to Mainstream: It’s Time for Products to Stop Acting Like an “Alternative”

By Lobber Levin

There is no shortage of companies producing alternative proteins or plant-based meat, fish, or poultry. New brands launch almost monthly. Some have managed to attract notable investments and good press coverage. Still, the industry is struggling to go mainstream.

To truly enter the mainstream, we need to stop seeing alternatives as alternatives, a compromise in some way. It’s time for these products to stand up for themselves and become dishes in their own right.

An important step in this process is to define and design a brand experience that makes consumers feel like they are choosing more, not less. Having a choice, not just a compromise.

Don’t remind me of what I’m missing out on

What I see repeatedly is brands emphasising being a substitute. “We’re kind of like meat, but not really, so let’s communicate that.” That’s a rational way of thinking. From a communication perspective, it is pretty ineffective because it doesn’t resonate with consumers. You and I are emotional creatures. We want to be seduced and surprised.

Speaking to actively substituting meat with a plant-based alternative might work with a select few ethically-driven consumers, but taking alternative protein mainstream will require a different approach. Kombucha didn’t become popular by being kind of like wine but being something different entirely. They are in a category of their own. And the same goes for tofu and falafel.

Elevating the category perception with OLALA!

In France, you can find plenty of vegan seafood alternatives. However, the category struggles with quality and taste, which has led to a negative category perception among consumers. This is not a great starting point for launching a new product. So, when we worked with a French-based startup making vegan seafood made from algae, we had to swim against the current.

Today, consumers, not just in France, drown in vegan/sustainable products, all positioning themselves as an “alternative” to the original (meat). This makes the product a compromise, a second, poorer choice, devaluing the quality and taste perception.

Together, we jumped out of the sea of sameness. The idea was not to be an alternative but simply something else. Consumers should choose this product because of the taste, while being plant-based and sustainable is a nice bonus.

We defined and designed a brand that appeals to French foodies. It communicates taste, community and all the amazing flavours of algae food. It expresses the flavourful pleasant surprise of the product and further increases the French heritage of the brand.

The results are quite impressive, considering the short time span. Beginning in May 2023, OLALA! is now in 200+ restaurants across France and Belgium, and it is currently opening in the Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Oh là là!

The road to mainstream includes flexitarians

Flexitarians made up 40% of global consumers, according to Euromonitor in 2020. So going mainstream involves appealing to flexitarians. And those consumers want change, not sacrifice.

La Vie, a French company making plant-based pork, knows this. We had the pleasure of working with the team on a brand universe that would seduce both beet and beef lovers alike. We had to shake up the perception of meat alternatives in order to unite vegans and meat lovers.

Like seafood alternatives, meat alternatives are an ocean of sameness. Most build on traditional FMCG packaging conventions, like pale meat patties, happy yet boring colours, generic plant icons, and then some equally unnoticeable brand name involving butcher, plant, alternative, or meat.

Rather, we wanted an expression that celebrates life. So, we crafted a brand that resonates with a younger generation looking to reduce meat consumption without sacrificing taste or enjoyment.

And it worked creatively and commercially. After just 18 months, La Vie became the No. 1 SKU in plant-based alternatives in France, secured a pan-European partnership with Burger King and 3X its sales growth. On top of that, the team has secured 4,600 points of sales across Europe and 3,000 restaurants using La Vie™’s products.

Be proud. Be confident. Be yourself. 

As long as brands keep marketing their products as substitutes, they will end up as substitutes. And who wants to buy the second-best thing?

A great consumer brand sparks emotions. It might even have cultural connotations and embedded cultural rituals or ways of doing things. More importantly, every brand should tell a story to help the product tick and make consumers stick.

Taste appeal is another have-to, but this needs to be an essential part of the design. When you are trying a new experience, you need to feel drawn to it, with a descriptive, surprising tonality and a lot of emotional appeal.

Brands should focus on what makes them great—what they are revolutionising or perfecting. So, be proud and confident in your product and your brand. That is an essential step on the road to mainstream appeal!