Peculiar Proteins

“For people to think differently about food, you need to hit them between the eyes,” says Bas Korsten, former Global Chief Creative Officer at Wunderman Thompson (now at VML). And that’s exactly what the agency did with Australian cultured meat start-up Vow. Together, they created a meatball made from the cells of the extinct woolly mammoth, which led to a 95.7% increase in willingness to try cultured meat. It demonstrates how to make a scientific concept simple and engaging.

Also playing with the idea of cannibalism was the 2022 Entertainment Lions Grand Prix winner. This mockumentary saw a Swedish scientist propose a lab-grown ‘human meat’ alternative to spark debate around conscious consumption. “The Swedish Food Federation took a leap in logic,” said Jury President Maria Garrido, Chief Executive Officer, Deezer. “By facing the shock, we understood the promise of the brand in a much more significant way.”

Vegan brand Oumph! wanted to prove that it could satisfy the taste buds of even the most demanding carnivores. Based on testimonies from real cannibals, it created a plant-based hamburger that mimicked human flesh – just in time for Halloween. The burger attracted more than 500m impressions and led to a 400% increase in brand awareness, showing how to capture attention through extremes.

Half of IKEA’s restaurant meals aim to be plant-based by 2025, an ambition that the retailer brought to life by serving potential recruits a plate of 3D-printed meatballs. This unusual recruitment drive saw an increase of 61% in job applications, showing how distinctive brand assets can inspire unorthodox creative ideas.

Finnish food company Fazer sought to change perceptions around insect protein with a loaf of bread baked with cricket flour. The dish generated more than 3300 pieces of coverage across the globe. It’s an example of how to ease people in with a staple item: the loaf was a less intimidating way for people to familiarise themselves with insect-based food.