By Abigail Stevens, Marketing and Content Manager for PBWE Europe
January has always been a time for reflection and resolutions: 2021 will be no different. With a global pandemic making us more aware than ever of the food on our plates, what better time than January for consumers to introduce dietary changes?
Enter Veganuary, a consumer campaign which launched in 2014 and has been encouraging people to try a plant-based diet for the month every January since. The registered charity has inspired and supported almost 1 million people in 192 countries to sign up and try a vegan diet for January and beyond, although marketing research company Kantar has data to suggest that more than 10 times that amount participate without taking the pledge.
The success of Veganuary lies in its two pronged approach: they work very closely with businesses from across the food sector to encourage the development of and promotion of plant-based products, making it as easy and affordable as possible for consumers to access the diet. Their other focus is on consumers directly, amassing a huge following online and developing non-judgemental, factual and informative content that has attracted the attention of celebrities around the world.
For those businesses who participate, Veganuary offers a big opportunity for media coverage of new product launches as well as increased sales of their plant-based products. 2020 was the biggest year yet; the case studies speak for themselves. Household names such as Heinz embraced Veganuary by releasing special edition cans for their flagship baked bean product with ‘Beanz Meanz Vegan’ branding. Elsewhere, Hellman’s Vegan Mayonnaise saw sales grow 400% in Tesco stores. In food-service, the number of diners visiting Pizza Hut restaurants and ordering vegan pizzas doubled. The launch of their plant-based Pepperphoni pizza was so well received it made it to the permanent menu. Fast food outlets joined in too: KFC launched their Quorn-based vegan burgers in the UK in 2020 and sold 1 million patties in the first month alone. That’s the equivalent of one being sold every three seconds.
Toni Vernelli, Head of Communications and Marketing International at Veganuary said “Veganuary is the ideal opportunity and marketing tool post-Christmas to create a one-month campaign activation in January to focus on your new vegan range launches. With so many more new vegans and flexitarians being created, we need businesses like yours to join us to shout about your vegan product launches and offers so that new vegans and participants can find great vegan options and have the best Veganuary experience.”
If you’re a business that sells plant-based products, what are you offering consumers during this month? Whether it’s a product launch, a social media campaign, collaboration with other brands or price promotions, it’s not to be missed. You can find out more about how to participate and download the Business Support Toolkit here: http://bit.ly/Veganuary2021Toolkit.