I’ve always loved a good underdog story. That moment when the plucky hero everyone ignored suddenly turns the tables and saves the day, that’s the kind of thing that makes me stand up and cheer.
Well, just like Peter Parker and Luke Skywalker, vegans are writing their own underdog story. After decades classified as a fringe movement, as extremists or hippies, it turns out vegans had the right idea all along. Reducing or eliminating the animal products we eat, use and wear can help our health and save the environment.
The rising tide of plant-based and vegan products shows that it’s possible to eat, dress and live well without killing animals to do it. So, the time is right for your vegan brand to emerge as the hero of this story, but you can’t get there without vegan public relations.
Here are three ways to make your story a success story.
1. Take a Stand with Facts
It’s hard to argue with cold, hard facts, but the meat industry is already trying. Taking out attack ads in major media outlets, the meat industry is trying to say that plant-based meat alternatives are worse for you than meat.
In true plucky hero style, Impossible Foods called their bluff, calling the ads a “disinformation campaign” and countering with facts about greenhouse gas emissions and health, according to the New York Times.
Your public relations should lean heavily on the facts of plant-based living. Facts aren’t fringe — they’re science.
2. Safety in Numbers
Why should consumers and investors take a chance on your vegan brand? Because the numbers don’t lie. Vegan and plant-based brands are rising in popularity. For example, food delivery giant Grubhub recently released its Taste of 2019 data, showcasing trends from more than 21 million customers.
Wouldn’t you know it? Vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes were seven of the top 10 top orders of the year, up from just three of 10 in 2019. Your public relations strategy should showcase these facts. There’s safety — and profitability — in numbers, after all.
3. Be a Leader
As new products come onto the market, it’s becoming easier for consumers to go vegan. These new vegans are looking for leadership, people to share recipes, give advice and help them feel proud of their lifestyle choices.
Your brand’s leadership can fulfill that role. By establishing trust and thought leadership in the vegan and plant-based marketspace, vegans will look to you for answers when they need them. So be sure to add thought leadership to your vegan public relations strategy.
Are you ready to rewrite the vegan story? If so, be sure to partner with a public relations agency that has plenty of experience in the vegan and plant-based markets. At Orange Orchard, we were doing vegan PR before it was cool, and our woke agency is still the only full-service communications agency in the U.S. that focuses on vegan and plant-based brands. If you want to be the hero, give us a call at (865) 977-1973 or contact Orange Orchard online today.