How Unox demonstrated success in creating a unique animated story that shows how a traditional brand can be completely contemporary.

CHALLENGE

Vegetarian meat-replacements show a double digit growth with an increasing audience of flexitarian Dutch. However, the absolute share of veggie in meat is still below 5%. 

With all of its history and authenticity, soup and meat brand Unox doesn’t want to be the brand of the previous century. The vegetarian range can be an accelerating force. The trust and familiarity of Unox helps to make vegetarian meal solutions very normal and accessible for the Dutch.

After introducing Vegetarian Smoked Sausage last year, Unox is extending its range of vegetarian products. Unox has the opportunity to bring this assortment from a niche to the mainstream. The challenge is to increase awareness, penetration and market share of this range. 

How Unox demonstrated success in creating a unique animated story that shows how a traditional brand can be completely contemporary.

CHALLENGE

Vegetarian meat-replacements show a double digit growth with an increasing audience of flexitarian Dutch. However, the absolute share of veggie in meat is still below 5%. 

With all of its history and authenticity, soup and meat brand Unox doesn’t want to be the brand of the previous century. The vegetarian range can be an accelerating force. The trust and familiarity of Unox helps to make vegetarian meal solutions very normal and accessible for the Dutch.

After introducing Vegetarian Smoked Sausage last year, Unox is extending its range of vegetarian products. Unox has the opportunity to bring this assortment from a niche to the mainstream. The challenge is to increase awareness, penetration and market share of this range. 

SOLUTION

We all know, eating less meat is benefiting people, animals and the world. But it requires change, and change often is confronted with resistance. We want to eat less meat, but we don’t want to miss anything. And we hate being forced into vegetarian choices. 

Unox doesn’t focus on the 4% of hardcore vegetarians. Instead, Unox targets mainstream families who eat meat but occasionally want to have vegetarian meals. A target group that, just like Unox, embraces nostalgia, but also wants to respect that times are changing. 

In many cases, kids are the motor for change, embracing what is new and importing the future in families. Unox provides accessible vegetarian food for all, connecting classic habits and rituals with new solutions.

The idea bridges the gap between Dutch food traditions and the new world in a uniquely animated fairytale to touch the hearts of the Dutch. Our main character is a world and nature loving young daughter of the butcher. Secretly, she trades her fathers smoked sausage for the Unox Vegetarian Smoked Sausage. And while he notices this, he also understands his daughter. Looking at his family enjoying their meal, the butcher tastes the sausage and winks to his girl to approve the taste. Times are changing.

RESULTS

The campaign touched the hearts of the Dutch. On Enjoyment (97%), Ad Distinctiveness (97%), Meaningful (99%), Relevance (99%), Differentiation (99%) and Persuasion (99%) the TVC couldn’t have performed better in the Kantar post-test. 

With a totally new spin on an archetypical Unox brand story, the ad connected the brand to a new segment of users. Capitalizing on trusted values, we touched the hearts of existing brand lovers, while giving them access to a vegetarian solution less polarising and more inclusive. 

The storyline, the food, the smoked (veggie) sausage and the tune provide a recognisable, memorable impression with a strong brand linkage (98%).

The brand attracted new vegetarian users and the other way around too: Unox users started trying new vegetarian behaviour.

This lead to penetration growth of Unox from 0.7% to 7.8%. All new veggie turnover came on top of existing Unox sales. While the category grew fast, with 27%, Unox radically outgrew the category: Unox Vegetarian grew by 305%. That meant an increase to market share from 1,1% to 3.6%. This is especially interesting, because Unox needed to attract buyers to the ambient, while all competition is cooled. With the iconic ad, they knew where to find this trusted brand for a vegetarian solution.

The unique form, tone and story in a fairytale not just told a message of change, but moreover proved the success of a new format to bring across a new brand message.