Dive Brief:

• Impossible Foods launched its first national ad campaign, titled "We Are Meat," per a press release. The integrated campaign includes five TV spots produced by Wieden+Kennedy, along with digital and social elements.
• The spots are entitled "We Love Meat," "Meat Places," "Yes We Do," "Mmmmmmmmmm" and "300%" and show footage of meat sizzling on a griddle that is reminiscent of burger chain advertising.
• The ads target meat eaters who haven't yet tried Impossible's plant-based products, as the company says nine out of 10 of consumers that eat Impossible foods are meat eaters, and come as the brand saw a more than 100-times lift in its retail footprint.

Dive Insight:

Impossible Foods seeks to tap into the greater availability of its products with an integrated, TV-focused campaign that demonstrates how its plant-based foods help consumers avoid the environmental effects of livestock without compromising on taste, nutrition, convenience or family traditions, according to CEO and founder Dr. Patrick O. Brown.

"We built this campaign to introduce Impossible products to consumers nationwide as delicious meat — no qualifications or compromises needed," Senior Vice President of Marketing Jessie Becker said in the announcement.

The ads target meat eaters who may be wary of the company's plant-based foods and their ability to share the look, feel and taste of animal-based meat — something the spots attempt to address by adopting a style of photography that is similar to that used by burger chains in their ads. Wieden+Kennedy has experience in this area and was named McDonald's lead agency in 2019.

Impossible Foods first national, mass-market advertising campaign comes as the plant-based food brand saw a surge in interest and availability during the pandemic. Impossible Burger was sold in about 150 grocery stores a year ago, and is now available in more than 20,000 stores and 30,000 restaurants, the release notes.