Impossible Foods rebrands as full-on ‘meat company’ 

Impossible Foods has announced a new marketing campaign under which the firm rebrands itself as a “meat company”.  

The company said that rather than force meat-eating consumers to change their lifestyle, the brand offers a reframing of “meat” by presenting meat from plants as a great-tasting solution under the campaign slogan of: “We’re solving the meat problem with more meat.”

Narrated by a stereotypically American meat eater, the commercial opens with a direct call-to-action for meat eaters to solve the “meat problem” with more burgers, hot dogs, and meatballs from plants. It also emphasises the health benefits of its plant-based meat – which Impossible claims to have zero cholesterol – over conventional meat.   

Additionally, the campaign features a series of shorter, product-focused ads to introduce Impossible’s plant-based beef, chicken, and pork.

Impossible said in a statement that its goal is to broaden its reputation as a burger brand and reposition itself as a full-fledged meat brand.

“Meat eaters have historically shrugged at meat from plants as something that’s not for them – but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Leslie Sims, Chief Marketing & Creative Officer of Impossible Foods. “We see this campaign as a way to let meat eaters know Impossible meat is the best way to keep eating meat you love, just without a lot of the problems associated with animal meat.”

The campaign follows a similar approach taken by Beyond Meat late last year to win back consumers, when the company unveiled a light-hearted new ad campaign focused on the supposed health benefits of its products. 

The new marketing campaign comes as Impossible mulls its future – in an interview with Reuters last week, Impossible CEO Peter McGuinness said the company was targeting a “liquidity event” that could include a public offering in the next two to three years. He also said the plant-based food manufacturer was considering a sale to another company or a capital raise in the same time period.  

According to Reuters, Impossible had been preparing for a public offering that could have valued it at $10 billion or more in 2021, the company also raising $500 million in the later portion of that year. 

Shares of Beyond Meat, meanwhile, have lost nearly all of their value since the company went public in 2019, Reuters noted.

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