You want to smash your vegan brand marketing in 2022, but in a rapidly growing market where do you even begin? Unfortunately, just sharing a Press Release about planting trees isn’t going to cut it. If you’re a vegan brand in 2022 you’re really going to have to pull it out of the bag to stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
A vegan brand is a brand that advocates veganism. However, veganism means different things to different people so let's briefly clarify what it means to be vegan.
Since its founding by Donald Watson and others in 1944, the Vegan Society defines veganism as follows:
Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.
If you have a vegan business or are thinking of starting one, then it's an exciting time indeed! Veganism used to be an 'alternative' lifestyle choice. Today, it's a rapidly growing movement that’s here to stay and brands are taking notice. Recent research undertaken by UK supermarket chain Waitrose revealed that a third of British people now have meat-free or meat-reduced diets, with 13% identifying as vegetarian or vegan and another 21% identifying as flexitarian.
According to marketing expert, Mintel, the UK is now the world leader in vegan food launches, a position long held by Germany. And a record 400,000 people signed up for Veganuary 2020.
Because of the grim realities of eating and farming meat, many people are vegan, whether exclusively, or for just a few days a week.
In fact, the top vegan terms in search in 2020 were almost all product-based. And you may find it surprising that Greggs (who jumped on the vegan bandwagon) with their vegan sausage roll was top of the list!
According to Accenture, there’s been a huge shift towards conscious consumer habits following the COVID-19 pandemic. And between January 2020 and 2021, Deliveroo revealed its vegan takeaway orders shot up by 163%!!
It’s not just food. Vegan brands are leading the way in fashion, beauty and interiors. And looking ahead, the vegan market is estimated to be worth nearly $32bn by 2026 so veganism is big business!
Back to food again (sorry!) and we know Greggs isn't a vegan brand but it is emblematic of the “vegan halo” effect. This is where brands that have embraced veganism have reaped the rewards. Here’s the launch video for their vegan sausage roll campaign if you haven’t already seen it.
Dr Martens is another example. Their profits recently soared by 70 per cent which was down to the success of their new vegan range of boots (we’re loving their pink prism vegan ankle boots!).
The good news is that you don’t need a ludicrous ‘big brand budget’ to get ahead of the competition in 2022.
Here are our budget-friendly top 10 tips (in no particular order!)
Firstly, have a look at the social media pages of your competitors. This will help you figure out what they are doing and how you can do it differently and better! Saying you’re vegan isn’t enough, as it’s a unique selling point that anybody can replicate. If you don’t have any ‘vegan’ competitors now, pretty soon you may have.
Veganuary may be underway but there are other well-known vegan events in 2022 that you shouldn’t miss, including Just V Show and World Vegan Day. How can you leverage the event to get more exposure for your brand?
By taking an inclusive approach like Meatless Farm to your marketing efforts you will appeal to both vegans and meat-eaters alike. Bruce Friedrich, executive director of the Good Food Institute, has said that companies selling food free from animal products should avoid using the word ‘vegan’ if they want to boost sales. Of course, if you only want to work with vegans, then wear it on your sleeve with pride!
Most vegans are young, so your brand voice needs to appeal to this demographic. The younger Gen Z and Millennial cohort make up the largest portion of UK vegans with the most common being females aged 18-34 (Statista, 2019). Your brand voice is for your audience, not for you.
Use brand storytelling to share your brand values and create an emotional connection with your target market. Greenwashing is more apparent than ever, so your audience is looking for authenticity.
A blog will not only help with your SEO but will help establish you as an authority in your niche. It also gives you an opportunity to humanise your brand. Another great advantage of having a blog is that you can repurpose the content for sharing on social media!
If you can afford to use influencers, there's a thriving vegan community on Instagram and Tik Tok where social media influencers are leading their followers towards a plant-based lifestyle. Influencers in the early stages of their journey can make a big impact at a lower cost than you might expect.
Inject some tongue-in-cheek shareable content (like Greggs did!) into your marketing strategy and your brand awareness will skyrocket! Instagram is a great platform for vegan brands and the rise of Instagram has even been linked with the growth of veganism.
Video continues to be the most engaging form of online content. According to research conducted by Wyzowl, 84% of people say they have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video. Therefore, it would be a big MIS-STEAK to not consider using video as part of your marketing strategy in 2022. Last year, Vegan brand Squeaky Bean launched their first major digital video ad campaign to encourage consumers to make their lunchtimes meat-free.
Collaborating with other vegan brands who share your values is a fantastic way to introduce your brand to new audiences. You can collaborate on giveaways, social media takeovers, guest blog posts and so on. For example, if you are a vegan drinks brand, why not collaborate with a vegan snacks brand?
If you're a vegan brand and would be interested in collaborating, drop us an email. We would love to hear from you. In the meantime, check out our case studies page to see the work we did for a vegan dog food brand!
