Breaking the Mold: Impossible Foods' Bold Approach to Plant-Based Marketing

Breaking the Mold: Impossible Foods' Bold Approach to Plant-Based Marketing

Brighter Future

 / 

May 29, 2024

#BrighterFuture #ImpossibleFoods #PlantBasedMeat #MeatFreeMeat

Brighter Future

Impossible Foods recently made the best plant-based burger ad we’d ever seen. Thirty seconds of high-octane marketing for meat-free-meat grabbed us by our lapels and ended, improbably, with a man exploding through a door on a dirt bike and blasting into the hills.

The ad is a masterclass in how storytelling can change product perception and consumer behaviour. At Brighter Future, that’s our bread and butter. 

So let’s break it down to see what made it so good.

1. Character Development: The ad host is a masculine man, built like a wrestler, whose meatiness embodies the brand thesis. He inhabits a world of traditional American imagery like county fairs and cookouts, and directly appeals to hardcore meat eaters, the very audience most sceptical of plant-based options.

2. Humour and Irony: With macho humour, the campaign flips the table over on anti-meat tropes. It’s not afraid of meat: it just tells meat-eaters to "solve the meat problem" by eating more plant-based meat.

3. Cultural References and Settings: The ad’s settings are classically meat-centric and focus on where meat is celebrated, from a backyard family barbeque to a hotdog-eating contest. Meat-eating is a cultural experience, and the ad says Impossible products won’t compromise it. It practically shouts it.

4. Inclusive Messaging: The ad aims for a wide audience with family scenes and diverse actors in age and background. Viewers get the message that eating plant-based food is a step forward for all of us.

5. Health and Environmental Messaging: The ad subtly connects health issues related to overconsumption of meat with a simple, unpreachy solution: eat Impossible Foods meat instead.

Impossible Foods' campaign is an incredible piece of narrative marketing. They’ve crafted a story that speaks directly to a reluctant audience by aligning with their values and lifestyle, and we’re sure it’s going to succeed. 

From all of us at Brighter Future, thanks for reading. For more breakdowns of brand storytelling that works— and inspiring stories from organisations that want to do good in the world— watch this space. 


Facebook sharing IconTwitter sharing IconPinterest sharing IconWhatsApp sharing IconLinkedin sharing Icon

Join our Newsletter.

Want valuable insights from some of the world’s most successful planet-driven founders? Join our Origin Story newsletter. Each one of our Origin Story interviews dives deep into the mind of a planet-driven founder, reveals insights about their company’s DNA, and investigates how they’ve built a successful business.

BY ENTERING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU AGREE TO BE ADDED YOU TO OUR MAILING LIST.

Let’s Tell Your Story.

Book call

Your Vision, Our Mission.

Book call

The Cost of Cutting Corners: Why Brand Builders Are Essential Beyond Launch‍

Who Should Shape Your Brand? Understanding the Roles of Leadership in Branding Decisions‍

The Hidden Cost of Delayed Branding in Climate

Investor Spotlight: Abe Murray, Alley Corp

Driving Culture and Impact with Inside-Out Storytelling

Investor Spotlight: Helmer Schukken, Rubio Impact Ventures

Mastering the Art of the Teaser Deck

Why We Work Exclusively with Climate and Impact-Focused Companies

Investor Spotlight: Jan Lozek, Future Energy Ventures

Investor Spotlight: Carlota Ochoa Neven Du Mont, Extantia Capital

Building a Strong Data Room for Investors & Shareholders

Mastering Your Monthly Startup Investor Updates: A Ready-to-Use Template

Why Many Climate and Impact Startups Fail (And What You Can Do About It)

Branding is the Strategic Foundation (and Why Marketing Should Come After)‍

How Design by Committee Kills Creativity: Insights for Companies Undergoing Rebranding

How to Drive Growth and Impact Through Storytelling

A Vision Story - Why You Need It and How You Craft It

The Core of Connection: Telling Your Purpose Story

‍Mastering Customer Insights: The Quick-Path Method to Developing Customer Personas

Investor Spotlight: Tim Hoerr, Serra Ventures

Investor Spotlight: Tom Rand, ArcTern Ventures

Investor Spotlight Interview W/ Nick Cooney, Lever VC

Investor Spotlight Interview W/ Danny Brown, MaC Venture Capital

Investor Spotlight Interview W/ Josep Oriol, Okavango Capital

Investor Spotlight Interview W/ Michael Dean, AgFunder

Investor Spotlight Interview W/ Jonny Everett, Marble

The Evolution and Impact of Science Communication

Investor Spotlight Interview W/ Myke Näf, Übermorgen Ventures

Investor Spotlight Series Interview W/ Anthony Chow, Agronomics

Breaking the Mold: Impossible Foods' Bold Approach to Plant-Based Marketing

Investor Spotlight Series w/ Nick Lyth, Green Angel Ventures

Origin Story Interview W/ Manuel Seiffe, MPower

Origin Story Interview W/ Aarav Chavda, INVERSA Leathers

Origin Story Interview W/ Florian Tiller, Ucaneo

Origin Story Interview W/ Richard Hardiman, RanMarine

Origin Story Interview W/ Johnny Drain, Win-Win

A Lesson from Patagonia on Developing Brand Values

Origin Story Interview W/ David Henstrom, Unibio

Origin Story Interview W/ Steffen Gerlach, Eeden

Origin Story Interview W/ Kevin Webb, Superorganism

An Origin Story - Why You Need It And How To Craft It

Origin Story Interview W/ Dustin Bowers, PLAEX

Origin Story Interview W/ John Vermilye, Fair Carbon

Origin Story Interview W/ Thibaut Monfort-Micheo, FlexSea

Origin Story Interview W/ Andrew Behar, As You Sow

Origin Story Interview W/ Ruben Smit, Sunrise

Origin Story Series W/ Deepak Rajmohan, GreenPod Labs

Origin Story Interview W/ Christopher McClure, Loki Foods

Narratives of Change: Crafting Identity through Founder and Organisational Storytelling

Origin Story Interview W/ Emmanuel Briquet, Searen

How to Use an Origin and Vision Story to Attract Investors

The Power of Storytelling: How Climate Activists Drive Meaningful Change

Transforming IPCC Narratives for Global Climate Awareness

Origin Story Interview W/ Hannes Junginger, Carbonfuture

Origin Story Interview W/ David Monnier, Fonto de Vivo

Origin Story Interview W/ Tim Steppich, ClimateU

Origin Story Interview W/ Mark Driscoll, Tasting the Future

Origin Story Interview W/ Kalle Nilvér, GoClimate

Origin Story Interview W/ Marina Schmidt, Red to Green

Origin Story Interview W/ Christoph Pitter, ProteinDistillery

Origin Story Interview W/ Antonella De Lazzari, Naturannova

Origin Story Interview W/ Dijana Galijasevic, Impact Hero

Origin Story Interview W/ Anastasia Kiku, Reusables

Origin Story Interview W/ Nathan Bonnisseau, Plan A

Origin Story Interview W/ Ryan Kushner, Third Derivative

Origin Story Interview W/ Philipp Arbter, Colipi

Origin Story Interview W/ Thibault Sorret, ERS

Origin Story Interview W/ Csaba Hetényi, Plantcraft

Origin Story Interview W/ Rhea Singhal, Ecoware

Origin Story Interview W/ Joel Tasche, CleanHub

Origin Story Interview W/ Jennifer Cote, Opalia

Origin Story Interview W/ Allen Himes, Indigo Energy

Origin Story Interview W/ Emily Taylor, SAGES

Origin Story Interview W/ Aaron Schaller, MeliBio

Origin Story Interview W/ Clover Hogan, Force of Nature

Origin Story Interview W/ Bernard de Wit, Regreener

Origin Story Interview W/ Wolfgang Baum, Fairventures Worldwide gGmbH

Origin Story Interview W/ Anne Therese Gennari, The Climate Optimist

Origin Story Interview W/ Frederique De Clercq, Fred's Mayo

Origin Story Interview W/ Dimitry Gershenson, Enduring Planet

Origin Story Interview W/ David Cutler, Fortuna Cools

Origin Story Interview w/ Auriane Borremans, The Butcher's Daughter & Eatention

Origin Story Interview w/ Will Wiseman, Climatize

Origin Story Interview w/ Todd Khozein, SecondMuse

Origin Story Interview w/ Ryan Hagen, Crowdsourcing Sustainability

Origin Story Interview w/ Noor, Project CECE

Origin Story Interview w/ Shobhita Soor, Legendary Foods

Origin Story Interview W/ Yvonne Jamal, JARO Institute for Sustainability and Digitalization

Origin Story Interview w/ Paul Shapiro, The Better Meat Co.

Origin Story Interview W/ Topher White, Rainforest Connection & Squibbon

Origin Story Interview W/ Felipe Krelling, NewBio

Origin Story Interview W/ Samuel Wines, Co-Labs Australia

Origin Story Interview W/ Mirjam Walser, The Vegan Business School

Origin Story Interview W/ Walid Al Saqqaf, Rebalance Earth

Origin Story Interview W/ Ana Rosa de Lima, Meli Bees

Origin Story Interview W/ Maya Ashkenazi, Maolac

Origin Story Interview W/ Vanessa Westphal, Choosy

Origin Story Interview W/ Leah Bessa, De Novo Dairy

Origin Story Interview W/ Jasmin Shaikh, Axia Foods

Origin Story Interview W/ Roee Nir, Forsea