Turning a Lawsuit against us into a Marketing Masterstroke

Imagine the stress at NotCo a plant-based food company, when they were sued by the powerful chilean dairy industry. The lawsuit threatened NotCo's ability to operate and market its NotMilk product. With a limited budget and an uncertain future, a traditional marketing campaign seemed out of the question.

However, NotCo and the agency team came up with a risky and unconventional solution: using the lawsuit itself as the foundation for its campaign. The reasoning was that since both NotMilk and the dairy industry agreed on one key point – that NotMilk is not dairy milk – we could leverage this fact to our advantage.

It was an Aikido move, using the opponent's own strength and momentum against them. Instead of fighting the lawsuit head-on, NotMilk would turn the dairy industry's legal arguments into their own marketing message.

Our team spent two years combing through the mountains of legal documents, searching for gems that unwittingly extolled the virtues of NotMilk. They found that the very things the dairy industry was criticizing NotMilk for – being non-dairy – were actually its unique selling points.

Extracting key phrases and quotes from the lawsuit, NotMilk created a series of humorous and attention-grabbing ads. These ads playfully questioned the dairy industry's attempt to quash the plant-based revolution. Consumers loved the campaign, which resonated with their growing interest in plant-based alternatives.

The NotMilk campaign cleverly utilized a multi-channel media strategy to maximize its impact. It focused on a mix of mass media, social media, and public relations to get the message across.

Mass media: Eye-catching billboards and bus ads placed NotMilk's message in front of a broad audience.

Social media: Playful social media posts invited consumers to join the conversation and share their thoughts on the dairy industry's lawsuit.

Public relations: By strategically leaking excerpts from the lawsuit that were favorable to NotMilk, they were able to generate positive press coverage.

This multi-pronged approach resulted in a wave of free media attention. Articles and interviews about NotMilk's innovative marketing strategy spread the word far and wide. The result? Increased brand awareness and a boost in sales for NotMilk.

The NotMilk story is a testament to the power of creativity and resourcefulness in marketing. Faced with an adversity, NotCo turned the tables on their opponents and used the lawsuit to generate positive conversation and influence. This campaign also solidified their position as a disruptive and innovative brand in the plant-based food industry and as a reference for other entrepreneurs that might face similar situations in the constant tension between traditional companies and innovative companies.