The red giant helping meat-eaters be less scared to eat plants

Before you angry vegans email me to say this isn’t a vegan company, I know, I know. Impossible Foods engaged in animal testing before they launched their products, but to my knowledge, this is no longer a regular practice.

I feel like I might have been one of the first few Canadians to try Impossible Foods (IF) back in 2017, when hubs and I dined at Momofuku in New York City during our honeymoon (I believe the location is closed now). My burger was good, but it wasn’t phenomenal—but I couldn’t compare it with much else back then.

Impossible Foods started rolling out its products B2B, which I think is a smart move—products still aren’t available in Canadian grocery stores.

And while I don’t like that it uses GMO soy, taste wise, IF makes some of the best plant-based alternative products today, IMO. It’s also stepped up its marketing since inception, which is why they deserve a profile here.

Date founded: 2011

Headquartered in: Redwood City, California, USA

Founder: Patrick O. Brown

Current CEO: Peter McGuinness

Current COO: Unknown

Current CMO/Marketing Director: Michael Bortinger; also Bram Meijer, VP International Marketing

Annual revenue: ~$250 million

Here’s an interview from November 2020 Axial did with founder Pat Brown.

Products/services:

Impossible Foods specializes in plant-based alternatives to traditional meat products and ready-made items. Its product line is extensive:

• Plant-based beef: Ground beef, burger patties, meatballs, taco beef, steak bites, light ground beef, corn dogs, hot dogs, beef sliders (new)
• Plant-based chicken: Chicken nuggets, spicy chicken nuggets, chicken patties, chicken tenders
• Plant-based sausage: Savoury ground sausage, spicy ground sausage, spicy sausage links, Italian sausage links, bratwurst sausage links, savoury sausage patties, spicy sausage patties
• Ready-made products: teriyaki chicken, pasta bolognese with beef, beef burrito bowl, spicy chicken enchilada, Dan Dan Noodles (collab product with MìLà)
  

Brand features:

1. Impossible Foods’ campaigns are designed to reach meat-eaters looking for alternatives, using persuasive storytelling and eye-catching visuals. Its target audience is the meat-eating community. 

2. In May 2024, IF underwent a rebrand going from green to red in its first major marketing campaign. This campaign targeted meat eaters, promoting plant-based meat as the best way to enjoy meat without the drawbacks. Its commercial was played at the Met Gala. IF’s ads, billboards, and partnerships position the company as a fully fledged meat brand. (Check out their downloadable media kit here.)

3. IF’s messaging is funny and bold, using phrases such as “We’re solving the meat problem with more meat” and #MOREMEATMONDAYS. It’s also confident, science-based, and focused on making plant-based eating feel like the future of food. IF often breaks the mold and isn’t afraid to ruffle vegans’ feathers along the way.

It takes a firm stance on environmental sustainability, frequently highlighting the impact of animal agriculture and challenging traditional meat consumption with compelling data and comparisons. It showcases how their plant-based products help protect the environment without sacrificing on flavour.

IF’s website is interactive and informative, with a dynamic layout that highlights key products, sustainability efforts, and educational content about plant-based eating. They have a debunking myths section and an Impact Calculator that allows website visitors to check how they’re making a difference by consuming their products.

4. IF’s marketing strategy includes collaborations with major restaurant chains, outbound marketing such as street interviews, and keeping up with social media trends.

Top marketing tactics

1. Collaborations

Impossible Foods collaborates with mega chains such as Starbucks and Burger King, but also smaller brands like MìLà. This helps them gain mainstream visibility, get into more locations, and reach meat-eaters who may not usually try plant-based foods. For example, working with MìLà enabled them to connect with a specialized audience that values premium, plant-based Asian cuisine.

2. Influencer marketing

Many Instagram and TikTok influencers have posted paid promotional videos. Some influencers seem to be long-term partners, like competitive eater Joey Chestnut, who appears in much of IF’s content. The company has a diverse range of influencer partners, from seniors to young adults and people of different ethnicities.

3. Social media trends

IF is “chronically online” and follows niche internet trends that are short-lived, but capture relevant moments.

4. Traditional marketing (ads, sampling, direct marketing, events)

Like many B2C companies, Impossible Foods has a large presence in the offline world. When sampling came back after the pandemic, the IF truck toured many Walmart and grocery store parking lots, giving tasters out to the public.

Not only are sampling, direct field marketing via street interviews, and presence at events parts of IF’s strategy, but it also utilizes billboards, posters, and transit advertisements in major cities to promote visibility.

In 2024, it partnered with experiential creative agency Yes Creative Co to launch its rebrand at Expo West with a booth that transported people into a classic butcher shop, complete with refrigerated deli cases housing products in the new red packaging. (See bottom left)

A unique and somewhat controversial strategy IF does is position its products in the meat department of grocery stores, similar to what Beyond Meat did. Through these initiatives, the brand increases awareness, especially among meat-eating consumers. (See bottom right)

Website: ImpossibleFoods.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/ImpossibleFoods
Instagram @impossible_foods
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/company/impossible-foods-inc-
YouTube: YouTube.com/@ImpossibleFoodsYT
TikTok @impossiblefoods
X @ImpossibleFoods

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