Better Nature is taking aim at KFC with its first out-of-home advertising campaign, ‘Believe in Tempeh’, encouraging consumers to swap chicken for tempeh one night a week.
The campaign features two billboards in London and coincides with research showing that 54% of Brits are bored of chicken. The findings also suggest that 35% are open to trying new protein options, while 19% are ready to replace chicken one night a week.
The campaign playfully references KFC’s ‘Believe in Chicken’ slogan, with Better Nature suggesting consumers give chicken a night off on Wednesdays rather than making a wholesale change to their diets.
“The research tells us something interesting: with almost 1 in 3 (32%) buying chicken on autopilot, it may be the default protein for many shoppers, but that doesn’t mean they are excited by it,” says Better Nature co-founder and CEO Elin Roberts. “More than half of Brits are bored of chicken, which gives us a brilliant opportunity to invite people to try something different.
“The big chicken companies have put chicken firmly into the cultural conversation. We didn’t want to compete with that. We wanted to play with it. If they can get Britain believing in chicken, we can get Britain thinking about what else could be on their plate.
“We’re not asking anyone to give up chicken. We’re just saying, why not give it a night off once a week and try something different? Our tempeh soaks up flavour better than any other protein, brings something new to the pan, and gives people a healthier protein option with more good inside when they want to mix things up.”
Introducing Fred
The campaign – Better Nature’s biggest marketing activity to date – also marks the first public appearance of Fred the Fox, the brand’s distinctive new chicken-loving brand mascot.
Developed over several months, Fred is designed to give the brand a recognizable character and bring its challenger positioning to life in a playful and memorable way.
“We’ve spent months working on this campaign, so we knew Fred’s first moment couldn’t be quiet,” says Roberts.
Dr Ando Ahnan-Winarno, the brand’s co-founder and COO, comments: “If everyone in the UK swapped chicken for tempeh for just one night a week, we’d add 457 tonnes of fibre to the nation’s diet every single week. With Britain facing a national fibre gap and 96% of UK adults failing to hit their 30g daily fibre target, this one small swap could make a big difference.
“Tempeh is a brilliant swap for chicken as it not only delivers a similar amount of protein, but it’s also full of fibre and (as a fermented protein) it’s packed with gut-friendly goodness too.
“We know that chicken lovers are not prepared to compromise on taste, which is why at Better Nature we’ve spent years refining our tempeh to make it flavour-hungry, which means it soaks up flavour more deeply and evenly to taste of the best things in the pan.”
By Jane Wolfe, contributor