Marketing Communication
Quorn: marketing campaign plan in the Netherlands
Case Introduction
Quorn is an English meat alternative food brand, originating from the 60s, offering both vegetarian and vegan options (Quorn, n.d.-a). The products are made from fungus and are low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt. With a market share of more than double the size of the second-largest player, Quorn is the market leader in the United Kingdom (Lee-Tan, 2021). In Europe, the Dutch eat the most meat alternatives (De Lange, 2021). Therefore, the Netherlands is an interesting market for meat alternatives brands to settle. Surprisingly, Quorn’s market share in the Netherlands is very small and shrinking (Adformatie, 2021). The food brand struggles to compete in the competitive Dutch market. Somehow, Quorn’s campaigns in the Netherlands are not persuasive enough to motivate Dutch people sufficiently to purchase Quorn products instead of other meat alternatives. Therefore, a new campaign will be designed that attempts to increase the intention to buy Quorn food products.
Consumer Analysis
Quorn’s consumers are vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians/meat reducers (Vegconomist 2018). The biggest group of vegans and vegetarians are women between 18 and 34 years (Biojournaal, 2020). Vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians are more likely to have a higher income and are willing to pay more for sustainable/high-quality foods. They are often young consumers, millennials, Generation Z, or parents of young children (Smidt, 2020). This particular group is more brand loyal, brand conscious, and quality conscious and bases their decision-making style on these characteristics (Wang, Siu & Hui, 2004). This corresponds to the group that cares most about environmental issues (Kloosterman et al., 2021). This group is also more likely to do their grocery shopping online, via apps and websites. Most consumers want tasty meat substitutes that fit their healthy lifestyle (Apostolidis & McLeay, 2016). In the Netherlands, 42% – other studies found 50% – of people are now flexitarians (Smart Protein, 2021; Statista, 2020). This makes them the largest meat-reducer group, compared to vegetarians who are only 12%, or vegans who represent only 7% of consumers.
In several studies it has been found that the main motives of vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians are animal welfare and health- and environment-related motives (Janssen et al., 2016; Dyett et al., 2013; De Backer & Hudders, 2015; Fluckiger, 2018). Some examples of these motives are concerns over animal suffering in farming, animal rights, resource scarcity, rainforest clearing, and illnesses (Janssen et al., 2016). Several studies found that flexitarians/meat reducers are less motivated by ethical and environment-related concerns, they are influenced by more health-related motives such as personal benefits and physical well-being (De Backer & Hudders, 2015; Varain et al., 2021).
Since the flexitarians represent the largest segment of the market this campaign will be focused on this group (Duurzaam-ondernemen, 2021). Furthermore, Quorn stands out in health-related benefits, which is an important motivator for this particular group.
Market- & Competitive Analysis
Quorn’s market of those who cut back on their meat consumption is gradually expanding in Europe (Anderson, 2021), including the Netherlands (“Dutch eating less”, 2021). Quorn in the Netherlands is part of a highly competitive market due to the large number of meat-substitute brands available in the Netherlands, which can be considered a threat to the brand (see Appendix). Direct branded, ‘quality’ substitutes competitors include: De Vegetarische Slager (ranking at 69%, based on purchase-behavior in the Netherlands), Garden Gourmet (owning 59% demand for their supply), Valess (having 58% interest in their products), Vivera (receiving interest for 64% of its products) (Adformatie, 2021) and other smaller brands, such as Beyond Meat, Meatless Farm, Meat Free Days or Wheaty (Vegetus, 2019). In addition, grocery chains – indirect competitors with unbranded not-‘quality’ products – also produce their own – usually cheaper – substitutes, including Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Lidl, and Aldi (Albert Heijn, n.d.; Jumbo, n.d.; Aldi, n.d.; Lidl, n.d).
Quorn struggles to compete with these brands potentially due to 1) their wider range of products, 2) cheaper prices, 3) products tailored to the Dutch cuisine specifically. Given Quorn is lacking these aspects, these can be seen as weaknesses (see Appendix). In the major grocery chains Albert Heijn and Jumbo, Quorn only sells a few products like ‘meat pieces’, satay, ‘slices’, and ‘mince’ (Statista, 2016; Albert Heijn, n.d.; Jumbo, n.d.). Other competitor brands have a wider range of products. In addition, their wider range is more tailored to the Dutch cuisine, including products such as shawarma, Dutch-style slices for sandwiches, and Dutch-style ‘sausages’ (Albert Heijn, n.d.; Jumbo, n.d.).
Last but not least, the prices of Albert Heijn and Jumbo’s brand meat-replacements, as well as those of discount stores are significantly lower. Therefore, Quorn not only lacks Dutch-tailored products and variety, but its products are also relatively expensive for customers. Even though Dutch people care about the environment and their health, Quorn does not appear to actively promote their soy-freeness and low sodium content, which is their strength, but at the same time a missed opportunity, since Quorn is currently not promoting this (see Appendix) (Kloosterman et al., 2021; Nierstichting, 2020). Lastly, the competitors by Quorn actively promote their products by the use of advertisements (Vegetarische Slager, 2021; Valess, 2021). Quorn only minimally advertises in the Netherlands, which can be regarded as a missed opportunity since the positive feelings that are evoked by an ad can lead to a positive attitude toward the ad and the brand (see Appendix) (Rosengren et al., 2020).
Advertising Objectives
Based on the aforementioned analysis of the consumers of Quorn and competing brands, the campaign will focus on meat reducer/flexitarians, who are mostly women between 18 and 34 years old, with relatively high incomes. When it comes to the character traits of this target group, the members are concerned about their health, about the environment, practice a healthy lifestyle and be in favor of high-quality products. Motives for the purchase of Quorn products should therefore be the preservation of the environment and the concern for one's healthy food intake.
The message of the campaign should focus on appealing to the goals and motives of this target group and distinguish Quorn’s brand as the most fitting for these consumers. Therefore, it is important to distinguish the unique selling points of Quorn. The brand differs from its competitors because it doesn’t use any soy in its products. The production of soy has been shown to harm the environment as it often is a cause of deforestation (Blonk Consultants, n.d.; WWF, n.d.). The solution that Quorn presents is their soy-free products that do not contribute to the destruction of the environment. Additionally, since the brand is an alternative to meat, of which the industry uses a large amount of soy and also water (WWF, n.d.), this can be seen as a way to prevent damage to the environment as well. Another unique selling point of the brand is that it is low in sodium. Quorn states that they strive to reduce the amount of sodium in their products as much as possible (Quorn, n.d.-b). This characteristic of Quorn products can be a point of attention to those striving to eat healthy as high sodium consumption has shown to lead to many health concerns such as high blood pressure (The Nutrition Source Harvard, n.d.). Taking all this into account, the message that Quorn should deliver is as follows: “Quorn is not an average meat substitute: It not only saves the lives of animals, but also the environment by being soy-free, and your health, by being low-sodium.”
The effect of this campaign should target the attitudes of those in the target demographic. Quorn is not a newcomer to the market and has some amount of recognition and awareness with the public in the Netherlands. However, the positive attitude toward the brand should be increased as at the moment Quorn struggles to receive similar praise to their competitors. Therefore, the advertising campaign goal should be as follows: “Within a year, in the target group, there is an increase of 10% in positive attitude toward Quorn.” Additionally, sentiment and reach will be measured too to accurately measure whether attitudes toward Quorn have been improved: “Within a year, the sentiment online about Quorn is 10% more positive.” and “Within a year, the reach of Quorn has increased by 10%.”
Creative Strategy
Thus, in the comparative video campaign, the content aims to increase positive attitudes toward Quorn by emphasizing the unique benefits of Quorn for not only animals but the planet and the consumer’s health as well. We propose an advertisement using video and narration that looks like the following:
In the creative campaign, a person is coming home with her groceries, picks out, and fries some unbranded meat substitute in a pan. When he sits down to eat it, he has a mountain of salt on his plate on top of the meat-substitute slice. The camera zooms into the meat, where a scene of a burning rainforest is uncovered. Then the camera zooms out again, looking at the not-so-happy consumer, eating the competitor’s product. During the ad, a voice-over narrates: “That does not look very tasty, does it?” to even further evoke negative emotions to this competitor.
In the next scene, celebrity Jordy Casteleijn is coming home with his groceries. He grabs the Quorn package from his bags and fries the product in a pan. Using visual effects, in slow-motion how the delicious meat-substitute is frying, with ultra-focus on the steam, imitating a nice smell. The camera again zooms into the meat substitute, this time uncovering a thriving rainforest. Then the camera zooms out again, looking at the happy consumer, eating it. There is only a hint of salt, emphasizing the low content of sodium. During this part of the ad, a voice-over narrates: “Choosing Quorn means up to four times less salt than alternatives and it is better for the planet. No deforestation needed.” The advertisement ends with their slogan: “Help the planet one bite at a time.”
This ad can be considered creative because of its originality and appropriateness (Rosengren et al. 2020). The ad is original because it shows information that may be new to consumers due to Quorn’s prior limited emphasis on its soy-freeness and low sodium content. Also, the advertisement can be regarded as having an unexpected element, since it shows literally what the hamburgers of the competitor and Quorn are made of, which people probably would not expect. It is appropriate because the advertisement fits with the products of Quorn since it highlights its unique selling propositions. Also, it taps into the target audience’s interest in environmental issues and health issues which makes the advertisement relevant too (De Backer & Hudders, 2015; Varain et al., 2021; Kanso, 2008). A positive attitude toward the ad leads to a positive attitude toward the brand, and in a comparative ad, this positive effect exclusively goes to the sponsoring brand of the ad (Rosengren et al., 2020; Muehling, 1987).
The advertisement also integrates characteristics that have been shown to enhance the retention of information from the media. Research into the link between comprehension of the advertisement and attitude toward the brand shows a positive impact of comprehension on brand attitude (Glaser & Reisinger, 2021). The modality principle proposed by Mayer and Moreno (2003) states that information is taken in more deeply when it is presented as a combination of animation and narration. Additionally, the dual-channel model states that humans process information through two different channels: verbal and visual. The combination of these channels leads to higher mental capacity when processing information (Paivio, 1986; Baddeley, 1998; Mayer, 2001). Therefore, the advertisement proposed puts these findings into practice by combining visual information (the storyline of the advertisement) with verbal information (the narration that is present in the background). The assumption is that this combination will lead to higher retention and comprehension of the advertisement which will in turn influence the attitude toward the brand.
The advertisement includes a celebrity because celebrity endorsers are capable of increasing the effectiveness of campaigns (Boyland et al., 2013), especially when the endorser matches with the product being advertised (e.g. Friedman & Friedman, 1979; Till & Busler, 2000). Therefore, celebrity Jordy Casteleijn and boyfriend of Yara Michels was selected for this advertisement given his well-known expertise in health and sustainability issues. Since Quorn stands for a better planet and since it is better for your health than alternatives, Jordy matches the brand very well.
This advertisement makes use of comparative advertising. This is a direct way of communicating a brand's particular advantage over its competitors (Belch & Belch, 2017, 208-210). In the ad, the consumer first eats an unbranded meat substitute. In the next part of the ad, this is replaced by a Quorn product. There is a clear difference seen between the two products and the level of satisfaction the consumers get from eating the products. Using this kind of strategy can change consumer beliefs and attitudes about the attributes of competing brands. This type of advertising is often used by brands with a small market share, which is the case for Quorn in the Netherlands (Belch & Belch, 2017, p. 209).
Media Plan
As explained before, the marketing strategy and media plan aim to reach flexitarians (the biggest non-meat-eater group) who are women between the age of 18 and 34, who are willing to pay more for sustainable/high-quality products. This age group can be reached through social media platforms (YouTube and Instagram), on which they form the biggest group of users (Khoros, 2021). In addition to this age group of users, females are the main users of these platforms (51% of Instagram, and >50% on YouTube), with high household income. Therefore, through these channels, the message can reach the majority of the target group on these channels with ‘open eyes/ears' (Moorman et al., 2011). Based on the target group’s behavior on the used platforms, there should be high selectivity and low waste of advertising (reaching those outside the target group), as well as a high number of effective reach (reaching members of the target group 10 times, that is the optimal frequency) (Moorman et al., 2011; Schmidt & Eisend, 2015).
To share the campaign, a dripping strategy is selected. Thus, the advertisements are spread over time with small exposure. Therefore, the advertisement will be shared for one year. This strategy is most suitable for the Quorn advertisement because many competitors, like Valess and De Vegetarische Slager, are advertising as well, which is why the Quorn messages may be forgotten quickly (Moorman et al., 2011). Dripping will help to continuously remind the consumer of Quorn and put Quorn in the foreground again.
Given Quorn’s small market share, a close eye should be kept on the costs. Since the internet is used to spread the advertisement, there is the advantage that costs can be calculated through several metrics. The cost per click (CPC) and cost per lead (CPL) will be used to estimate the costs of the advertisement, in addition to the absolute cost.
The optimal frequency of exposure to the advertisement is an important factor of a campaign to determine. Moorman et al. (2011) conclude that too few insertions can result in a lack of effects whereas too many insertions can result in unnecessary costs and adverse effects. Several theories regarding the optimal frequency of exposure have been proposed and to this day there is no one defined ultimate way to approach it. The study by Schmidt and Eisend (2015) hypothesized that advertising repetition affects attitude toward the brand in an u-shaped course. Their findings confirmed the hypothesis and they distinguished the optimal number of repetitions to be ten. This is in line with the repetitionist view that argues that a higher frequency of exposure leads to stronger effects. Previous literature on the subject has agreed that a higher frequency of repetitions leads to higher attitudes (Kohli et al., 2005). Therefore, this campaign will strive to subject the target group to ten exposures of the advertisement as a way to raise a positive attitude toward the brand.
Measuring Campaign Outcomes
To measure campaign outcomes, first, a baseline measure needs to be formulated to find out what consumers’ current attitudes are regarding Quorn, and eventually, it will help to determine the extent to which the campaign was capable of changing the attitudes. A survey will be executed among approximately 1000 consumers in the target audience to measure attitudes before the campaign. Additionally, current sentiment and reach online will be measured. Then, after these measures, the advertisement development phase will take place. To explore consumers’ responses to an ad, concept testing over the internet will take place at the very start of the advertisement development process (Belch & Belch, 2017, pp. 622-623). This is, compared to other research methods, time and cost-efficient, and it is convenient for the participants because they can do this test from the comfort of their homes. During this process, the ad concept, the appeals, and the execution style are shown on which participants give feedback.
The next measurement will take place when the advertisement is finished. Online theater tests will be used to measure audience responses regarding attitudes (Belch & Belch, 2017, pp. 628-629). If the audience does not respond in the right way, adaptations will take place and the test will be run again. When the consumers indicate that this campaign is successful in increasing their attitude toward Quorn, the campaign will be launched. Quorn will be using Google Analytics, as well as looking at social media likes, conversations, and mentions (Kanso, 2008). By this, sentiment and reach will be measured as well. Furthermore, a year after the campaign was enrolled, the same survey that was used to measure the baseline attitudes will be executed again among 1000 other consumers in the target audience. Additionally, the consumers will be asked whether they had seen the Quorn advertisement. Based on the differences between the post-campaign and the pre-campaign surveys, we can conclude whether the campaign was capable of changing attitudes toward Quorn.
Conclusion
Quorn is a British meat alternative brand that has faced challenges staying relevant and getting sales in the Dutch market. Whether it would be because of a large number of competitors, small and market non-tailored selection of products, or relatively high prices, this campaign is focused on providing a solution to the problem. Our campaign targets the attitudes towards the brand in the hopes of raising them by 10 percent in the target group, flexitarians, within a year. Flexitarians are a growing group in the Netherlands (Statista, 2020). The analysis of the market and Quorn’s current consumers showed that the campaign should focus on flexitarians between the ages of eighteen and thirty-four, mainly women, who care about the environment and their health and have a relatively high income. We propose a commercial that would make use of celebrity endorsers, comparison, and focus on unique selling propositions of Quorn that have also been shown to be of importance to the target group: low environmental impact and low sodium. The commercial would then be distributed on social media channels that the target group spends the most time on which are Instagram and YouTube. We believe that this campaign has the means to make our target group form a more positive attitude towards Quorn propelling the brand back into close competition with other meat substitute brands.
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Appendix
SWOT analysis
Strengths ● Quality branded substitute ● More sustainable than alternatives: non-soy based & 80% of packaging are recyclable ● More healthy than alternatives: low sodium ● Made of mycoprotein: rich in fiber, low in saturated fat, no cholesterol ● More than 60% of products received Carbon Trust Footprint Award | Weaknesses ● Lack of products suitable to the Dutch cuisine ● Somewhat higher prices compared to non-branded alternatives ● Lack of advertisements in the Netherlands |
Opportunities ● Dutch preference for Dutch-style products ● Highlighting the benefits of not using soy (for the consumer and the planet) + low sodium ● Dutch people care about the environment ● Dutch people eat more and more meat substitutes | Threats ● Established habitual shopping of consumers ● Competitive market ● Further emergence of future competitors
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Strengths
Quorn positions itself as a quality branded substitute by offering products that have beneficial nutritional values. The products are low in sodium. The brand uses mycoprotein, which is very rich in fiber, low in saturated fat, and contains no cholesterol (Quorn, n.d.-b). This makes them stand out from other meat-substitute brands. This communicates the brand's mission of supporting a healthy lifestyle while choosing a delicious and green option for its consumers.
Furthermore, Quorn is more sustainable than alternatives because they are made from fungus instead of soy, unlike their competitors that mostly create products from soy (Quorn, n.d.-c). The use of soy needs to be avoided since it causes widespread deforestation (WWF, n.d.). Also, 80% of Quorn packaging is recyclable which minimizes one’s ecological footprint when buying Quorn. Moreover, Quorn was the first brand to receive independent certification for their carbon footprint figures, with more than 60% of their products that received the Carbon Trust Footprint Award (Quorn, n.d.-c). This plays upon the benefits that Green brand placement has a positive influence on brand attitudes(Hartmann, Ibáñez & Sainz, 2005).
Weaknesses
Where the famous brand De Vegetarische Slager has a wide variety of vegetarian food products inherent to Dutch culture provided with catchy product names like “Bofkipburger” (“Lucky chicken burger”, a pun on the word “Plofkip” which is the Dutch name for broiler chicken, a fast-growing chicken that is specially bred for meat production), the brand Quorn barely has any products that tap into Dutch culture (Albert Heijn, n.d.). This can be considered a weakness because these products may be liked and bought less when they do not fit the country’s food pallet.
A second weakness is that Quorn is sold at somewhat higher prices compared to non-branded alternatives (Albert Heijn, n.d., Jumbo, n.d.). This may lead consumers to choose an inexpensive alternative.
Furthermore, in the Netherlands, Quorn has a lack of advertisements, except for a few small influencer collaborations. Contrastingly, larger brands like Valess and De Vegetarische Slager frequently appear on Dutch cable TV to promote their products (Vegetarische Slager, 2021; Valess, 2021). Also, in the United Kingdom, Quorn, where Quorn is the market leader, the brand has many advertisements, and even collaborations with Liverpool FC, the football club of Liverpool (Lee-Tan, 2021; Quorn, 2021a; Quorn, 2021b). This is a weakness because research has shown that people like the brand more if they enjoy the advertisement (Lacziak & Carlson, 1989; Rosengren et al., 2020). Since Quorn is not sharing advertisements, this effect will not occur by the ad given the lack of it. Also, due to the highly competitive market, it may be necessary to promote the brand frequently among the target audience to sustain visibility and brand awareness.
Opportunities
One of the opportunities for Quorn lies in the alignment of values between the brand and the general Dutch audience. Research has shown that upwards of 70 percent of dutch consumers are concerned with the sustainability of the products they buy and consider themselves sustainable shoppers (Statista, 2018). Quorn’s website states that as a brand they put a heavy focus on sustainability as well. The brand promotes sustainability by providing meat alternatives that have a significantly lower carbon footprint than meat and by using sustainably sourced palm oil (Quorn, n.d.-c). Additionally, Quorn’s products do not use soy which has shown to have a significant negative impact on the environment (WWF, n.d.). The aligning values between Quorn and the dutch population present an opportunity for the brand to expand in the market.
The absence of soy in Quorn’s products also presents the opportunity for the brand to position itself as a health-focused product. Since Quorn does not promote the brand by the use of advertisements, Quorn also only minimally highlights that their products are not made of soy and are low in sodium, which is the brand’s unique selling proposition (Albert Heijn, n.d.). Given the large number of Dutch people that care about the environment, it may be beneficial to highlight the fact that the products do not contain soy (Kloosterman et al., 2021). Additionally, since Dutch people structurally eat too much sodium, but indicate that more information about the amount of sodium in products, would help to decrease sodium intake, it is regrettable that Quorn does not shed light on its low sodium content compared to alternatives (Nierstichting, 2020). Quorn could use these trends as an opportunity to focus more on its low sodium content and soy-freeness in its communications.
Another health-related opportunity for Quorn to expand their business in the Netherlands is that the country is exponentially growing in demand for meat alternatives. Recent research shows that at the moment the Dutch consume the most meat alternatives in Europe (De Lange, 2021). Additionally, the Dutch have a growing flexitarian and vegetarian population (Statista, 2020). This creates an opportunity for Quorn to target a market that is already open to the products the brand has to offer.
Lastly, an opportunity that Quorn has to advance in the market is to assimilate their products to the target audience of the Netherlands. Research has shown that Dutch consumers are known to be preferring Dutch products (Josiassen, 2011). That is, the brand could grow its range to include products that Dutch people find familiar in the hopes that this change will invite more people to purchase the brand's products.
Threats
Breaking the existing habits of brand-choice of meat-reducer consumers is difficult. In this case, the consumer does not engage in all five steps of decision-making (problem recognition → information search → alternative evaluation → purchase decision → post-purchase evaluation), which consequently makes targeting, reaching, and influencing them harder. This is particularly the case if the consumer does not engage with information search or alternative evaluation, to see what other brands, like Quorn, have to offer (Belch & Belch, 2017, pp. 113-129). Meat-substitutes are presumably purchased with a low-involvement attitude (because groceries are everyday decisions), whereby the consumer’s decision is made through the peripheral route (Belch & Belch, 2017, pp. 175-177). This makes breaking the habit down difficult, because the consumer is not active in seeking other options, and it is hard to make them have brand-related thoughts (Liu & Shrum, 2009).
Increased competition from other (Dutch) vegetarian brands is also a threat. First of all, Joniassen (2011) concluded that Dutch consumers are known to be preferring Dutch products. Since Quorn is British, the brand experiences more difficulty competing with these brands. Secondly, increased competition means that consumers have the opportunity to select from more choices. Given the large variety of (domestic) brands like De Vegetarische Slager that offers completely Dutch-style products which can be easily integrated into Dutch kitchen, which Quorn does not offer, Quorn could attempt to stand out by promoting their unique selling propositions (Albert Heijn, n.d.). However, the brand does not appear to be successful in showing why the brand is superior to others. This makes the increased competition a threat.
Last but not least, given the increasing interest of consumers in reducing their meat consumption, and consequently, looking for alternatives (Smart Protein, 2021; Statista, 2020), the market is likely to expand more and more in the coming years by the introduction of new and better products and new (domestic) competitors, which, as said before, are expected to be liked more than foreign brands, such as Quorn (Josiassen, 2011). This could reduce Quorn’s market share even more.
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