Dive Brief:

• Impossible Foods is refocusing its brand identity by calling attention to the “craveability of meat” in hopes of appealing to both plant-based and non plant-based consumers, the company announced at Natural Products Expo West on Thursday. 
• The new branding will feature the color red at the heart of its packaging and refocuses the company to “make meat from plants that tastes as good or better than the animal, and is nutritionally competitive.” The brand refresh is the product of a partnership between branding agency Jones Knowles Ritchie and Impossible’s in-house marketing and creative teams.
• Among Impossible’s regular customers, 90% already identify as meat eaters, the company said. “We want to be inclusive to anyone who enjoys great food. It doesn’t matter if you’re a vegan, a vegetarian, an animal meat-lover, or somewhere in between,” said CEO Peter McGuinness in a statement.

Dive Insight:

Impossible began its mission with a message that its burgers “bleed” just like beef burgers. And in fact, that was one of the details most consumers talked about when it came to the new meatless patties.

Now, as the plant-based space is facing criticism for being divisive, main players in the sector have been taking a different approach, aiming to cast a wider net to attract a larger group of customers.

The design intention of the rebrand is to appeal to the “carnivorous cravings of meat eaters across the full consumer journey, from the digital experience to most consumers’ first impression of a brand: packaging,” the company said. 

When customers see the bold red on shelves, Impossible believes it will reinforce the fact that its products taste, cook and satisfy like animal-based meat. 

“For a long time, meat eaters didn’t see us as something for them. But our mission relies on attracting meat eaters, so we wanted to do what we could to be more inviting in our approach and messaging,” said Leslie Sims, chief marketing and creative officer. 

Impossible’s updated packaging will hit shelves throughout the U.S. over the coming weeks, before launching overseas later this year. The new Beef Hot Dog will be the first product to get the packaging makeover. 

The plant-based space overall may see more of rebranding and shifting messaging tactics in 2024. In the last few years, the category has seen slumping sales and shifting consumer mindsets. Also during that time, the messaging from companies has been less than inclusive, said Jennifer Bartashus, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence in a previous interview. 

If the category wants to see sustained growth, it will need to regain focus on its narrative.