As we live in an ever-changing environment, it’s no surprise that individuals’ diets and food sources are among those changes. As the demand for sustainability increases, so does the market and production of plant-based foods and products. The consumer demographic for plant-based foods has rapidly increased over the past few years, prompting marketers to strategize on how to best reach this growing demographic.
The Plant-Based Demographic
Gen Z & Millennials
When crafting a marketing strategy, it’s essential to know who your target audience is and how to best reach them. The plant-based demographic is younger and tends to fall between the ages of 18-44 which embodies more than one generation of consumers – gen z and millennials.
The gen z demographic reflects the plant-based market as the decisions of the younger generation influence generations to come. Eating plant-based foods benefits both simultaneously because consuming plant-based products is healthier and decreases your carbon footprint.
Strategies for Plant-Based Marketing
Understand the Plant-Based Audience
It’s important to note that the plant-based market encapsulates a variety of buyers, including vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians. Flexitarians refer to the demographic of flexible vegetarians. Flexitarians mainly eat plant-based products but still sometimes consume animal-based products and foods.
In terms of tactics, flexitarians remain a key target market for plant-based companies, due to the fact that the flexitarian demographic is much larger than vegans or vegetarians. Marketing tactics must seem enticing to consumers, regardless of their relationship to plant-based foods. Plant-based brands will be able to reach and market to a much larger audience if they embody all plant-based consumers instead of focusing only on vegan and vegetarian populations.
Promote Environmental Benefits
Many individuals who purchase plant-based products are already sold on the health benefits. With that in mind, brands should highlight components of sustainability and environmental efficiency within their marketing strategies. Emphasizing plant-based statistics is an excellent strategy to generate awareness, sales, and engagement.
As a consumer, it would be hard to turn down plant-based products with marketing that includes statistics about eating a plant-based diet. Customers want to feel confident in all purchases, especially food and beverage products. Focus on the impact of a plant-based lifestyle. When considering the environmental impact of dietary choices, it’s worth noting that a plant-based diet generates half the amount of carbon dioxide, consumes 13 times less water, and requires 18 times less land compared to an animal-based diet. Armed with such compelling facts, it becomes clear that choosing your plant-based product is a logical decision for anyone who may be uncertain about which dietary path to take.
Overall Marketing Strategies
Marketers are constantly brainstorming the best methods to reach consumers as trends and products emerge. Genuine commitment tailored to the needs of individuals stands out and resonates with consumers.
Marketing that highlights the dedication to a cause or particular lifestyle and dietary choices echoes personalization and thoughtfulness. Plant-based products are only one of many within the marketing realm.
To learn more about marketing to various consumers, check out our various blogs.
