Tune in to this episode of In With the New as Avril Tomlin-Hood welcomes Lindsay O’Donnell, Founder of Piquant Marketing, to discuss plant-based food marketing and the importance of finding your "why"
31 minutes | Apr. 19, 2023
Lindsay O’Donnell is the Founder and Marketing Director of Piquant Marketing, a creative and strategic marketing agency that has worked with over 100 vegan and vegetarian food and wellness brands. Lindsay’s passion for growing and supporting food entrepreneurs and brands started at Whole Foods Market and led her to found Piquant in 2016. Lindsay is also the Co-owner and Marketing Partner of Planted Expo, Canada’s largest plant-based event.
In recent years more consumers have transitioned to vegan or plant-based diets, creating a rapidly growing market of engaged consumers looking for plant-based food products. But when it comes to marketing and messaging, many emerging plant-based food brands try to make their products appeal to all consumers – vegans, meat eaters, and flexitarians. The result can be that in trying to appeal to everyone, the brand fails to connect with anyone. For many successful plant-based food brands, the secret to growth lies in first connecting with the plant-based community to gain a dedicated customer base who loves their products. But how can these brands expand beyond the plant-based community and encourage widespread adoption of their products among all consumers?
According to Lindsay O’Donnell, brands need to be deeply aware of their “why” – their purpose – and be able to craft and share their unique story in a way that resonates with consumers. This is particularly important for brands in the vegan and vegetarian food and wellness space. Plant-based consumers are driven to support personable, authentic brands, and Lindsay says that your purpose should be evident and clearly communicated at each touchpoint. As for how to grow beyond the plant-based community, Lindsay points to some of the biggest plant-based food brands as examples of how gaining a dedicated following of plant-based consumers can create a ripple effect of adoption among flexitarians and meat eaters. Through her work at Piquant Marketing, Lindsay helps brands discover their unique stories and tell those stories in ways that allow them to stay true to their “why.”