Page 32 - The Five Forces of Everything

Convincing Experiences Beyond The Plate

Beyond the right packaging, how do you go about creating a winning With veganism becoming a lifestyle choice, it is no wonder
product in the meat alternatives space? Well it turns out, you can’t please that personal care brands are starting to speculate to
all of the people all of the time! accumulate.

For flexitarians, brilliant In 2018, L’Oréal signed a deal to acquire Germany’s Logocos
imitations like The Beyond Naturkosmetik, including its core brands Logona and Sante.
Burger are positively received:
The products are all vegan and bio-certified, using plant extracts and
“Its appearance is so much like natural ingredients derived from their own organic farming.
the real thing - it’s baffling.
It’s grilled from frozen and In line with L’Oréal’s strategy to
within a few minutes it can ‘seize what starts’, this acquisition
be heard sizzling away. Taking reinforces the position of the
a closer look, I saw ‘fat’ company to be on top of one of
dripping from it. Suddenly, the today’s major trends.
kitchen was filled with a chargrilled, meaty aroma. Within 18 minutes, it
had caramelized and was ready to eat. The first bite revealed a slightly Indeed, L’Oréal is injecting some
pink interior. They really have thought of everything. The taste, texture much-needed momentum into
and overall mouthfeel are the best yet from any meat alternative that a category where natural has
I’ve tried. Juicy and deeply satisfying. Suddenly this company’s valuation become ubiquitous.
doesn’t seem so ridiculous.”

For vegans and vegetarians, being this close to the real thing could actually
put some people off. One vegetarian shares her experience of U.K. retailer
Greggs’ much talked about Vegan Sausage Roll:

“I knew from the first bite that I wouldn’t be buying again. The appearance,
taste, texture and aroma were all too much like real meat-based sausage
rolls. I couldn’t believe it was an imitation and I suspected that they’d
given me the wrong product.”

So, what can we learn? First, understand that you may not be
able to satisfy vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians
all at the same time. Be clear who your primary
target is and ascertain the right level of imitation
that is required.
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FORCE #2 OBSERVATIONS | IMPLICATIONS | ILLUSTRATIONS